Myriad Paths

The ultimate goal of humanity is to replace heaven with human beings.

The so-called replacing heaven with human beings means that the thing called "human beings" replaces everything and becomes the "absolute entity".

So, what is the absolute entity?

It refers to the ultimate nature of all reality.

The fundamental reason for the generation, existence, development and change of all things in the world.

A red object is "red" because we understand it as red. For creatures without red vision, it is not red.

So, what color is it?

Or, what is it? What is behind this object? What is behind the red?

From this perspective, the devil's way is an obstacle. Think about it carefully. As long as I think, no matter what I think, "I" already exists first, so we cannot transcend the limitations of "I" to explore the real "entity".

All the proofs you can produce inevitably pass through the feelings of "I". The real entity does not seem to exist, or at least cannot be perceived.

This "I" is an existence that all practitioners will inevitably perceive.

But if you accept and sink, it is "entering the devil". You no longer pursue the things behind it, but only pursue the interpretation of yourself, and naturally enter the devil's way.

Therefore, this obstacle is called "demon barrier", and the devil's way is parasitic on all paths, absorbing them as nutrients to exist.

But... the "entity" behind the demon barrier should exist, right?

At least, the human way and the witch way believe that it exists.

Both the human and witch sides believe that there is an ultimate root of all things in the world. This ultimate entity that transcends everything, becomes everything, and interprets everything is what they think is the "ultimate of the way".

This entity is called "nature" by the witch way.

And the human way wants to replace this thing, no longer let "nature" be the entity of everything, but let "man" be the entity of everything.

This plan is called "replacing heaven with man".

Li Qi listened silently to Zhang Zong's introduction.

"The goal of the Xianshi Sect is to 'replace heaven with human beings', but it is not the ultimate goal, but a springboard. When 'human beings' have completed replacing heaven with human beings, they can directly achieve 'separation from all entities' and exist independently by breaking away from humanity, thus directly achieving the goal of 'freedom'."

Zhang Zong poured another cup for Li Qi and said, "What do you think of this plan?"

"It's really... nonsense." Li Qi shook his head: "If humanity really becomes the absolute entity, then does the Taoist sect still have a chance to break away? Wouldn't it be completely controlled by humans?"

"Besides, even if humanity is willing to let go, but... If they can't escape under the control of 'nature', can they escape under the control of 'people'? If they escape, where should they go? "

Zhang Zong explained: "From the perspective of humanity, there is no need to worry about breaking their promise. Even in the worst case, if humanity itself cannot let them escape, it will simply give up its jurisdiction over them and give them 'actual freedom' and will never interfere. Humanity still has credibility. "

He continued to brew tea with beautiful and gorgeous techniques. The water flew like a waterfall, but not a drop spilled. It was extremely gorgeous, and there were small rainbows flying in it.

But this method did not interfere with his normal speech. Zhang Zong said: "It's just that we also feel that even if it is only 'nominal control', it is not true freedom, so the hidden school did not join it, but recent events have involved too many things. I am not convenient to say what is involved, but I can tell you that because of these involvements, I finally came." "Ah, I almost understand it, so the visible school thinks that following the human way has the opportunity to achieve freedom... It's not hard to understand, what about the rational way? Do you know the situation of the rational way?" Li Qi asked again. "The situation of the rational way is actually similar. Do you know the concept of the rational way?" Zhang Zong began to explain. Li Qi nodded. Of course, he knew the concept of the rational way. He had been friends with the practitioners of the rational way for a period of time and formed a school with them. He still remembered the other party's name, Wang Dun. The rational way does not seek to explain the 'why', but simply describes, predicts, understands, and applies natural phenomena based on empirical evidence from observations and experiments. The rational way believes that there is no end to the 'why'. Keep asking why, and in the end, even if you really find the ultimate avenue, and the ultimate avenue is enough to explain all the whys, there will still be a final why that is absolutely unsolvable and hanging over your head.

That is: ‘Why is there an ultimate avenue? ’

The three words ‘why’ are bound to be unsolvable.

This is also what Li Dao said, there is no need to explore the so-called ‘Tao’.

Exploring the essence of all this, in the end, only nothingness is obtained.

So, just explore and then apply it, don’t think about it, it’s just a waste of time.

“It’s easy if you know.” Zhang Zong also nodded, and then started to clean up the water. The tea was almost finished.

As he cleaned up, he saw the tea bowl and tea automatically flew up, and then he said: “The reason of Li Dao is the same as that of Taoism. If you can’t find the ‘ultimate answer’, then, wouldn’t it be better to create one?”

This answer surprised Li Qi.

But it seems... I can’t refute it.

Indeed.

If the ultimate avenue is unknowable, inexpressible, or even unsolvable, then...wouldn't it be enough to close the loop?

As long as we help humanity become the 'ultimate avenue', then the question 'why there is an ultimate avenue' will have an answer.

The answer is: "created by the Principle".

The ultimate avenue can explain all problems, but cannot explain itself.

So the Principle explains the ultimate avenue, and then the ultimate avenue explains everything else.

It's like the Penrose stairs, a staircase that climbs up and also goes down.

Another example is the self-circulating hand and pen.

The two hands that stick out from the picture, holding pens in each other's hands, want to draw another self.

The left hand draws the right hand, and the right hand also draws the left hand at the same time.

This picture is intuitively impossible.

Because if the left hand does not draw the right hand, the right hand cannot draw the left hand.

Similarly, if the right hand does not draw the left hand, the left hand cannot draw the right hand.

But if they succeed, then both hands exist at the same time, humanity becomes the ultimate answer to create the Principle, and the Principle also creates humanity as the ultimate answer, and both sides are the cause of each other and exist at the same time.

In this way, the biggest problem of the Way of Reason is solved, and this may even become a first-class opportunity.

In this case, it is not difficult to understand that nearly half of the living forces of the Way of Reason choose to support the Way of Humanity. It can even be said that it is easy to understand their choice.

"Then... what about the Way of Martial Arts?" Li Qi asked again.

Zhang Zong finished packing the tea set, and then said with his hands in his pockets: "There are also several factions within the Way of Martial Arts, such as the 'Zhi Ge Wei Wu' you have learned before, which emphasizes the use of force to protect something. You have had a fourth-class guardian warrior before, right? She is like that."

"There is also the 'Wu Wei Conquest' faction. So, for this faction, is there a more tempting goal than 'Heaven'?"

Li Qi nodded, and there was no doubt now.

For these warriors who want to conquer all things, conquering the sky is probably extremely tempting. Following the Way of Humanity is to challenge the ultimate nature of all things.

Following the Way of Witches or Buddhism, you will never find such a grand goal. The Way of Witches will even stop these warriors and become their enemies.

Then, following the way of humanity, conquering all the way, how refreshing!

All living beings say that the will of heaven is high, so let's see if my fist is higher than the will of heaven?

"Then I almost understand." Li Qi sighed: "Alas, it's difficult."

Zhang Zong laughed, as if it was a pleasure to see Li Qi's face full of distress, but after laughing enough, he still changed the subject: "Okay, let's talk about something else that makes people relax, for example... Are you curious about what the 19 universes I have experienced are like?"

"Can you say it?" Li Qi was surprised, this probably involves the foot?

"If you can listen, I can say it." Zhang Zong replied.

"Then I will be disrespectful, you know I like to hear these the most." Li Qi immediately made a "please" gesture.

So, the topic changed again and returned to the chat.

Zhang Zong's topic was indeed very interesting. He talked about the different types of universes he encountered.

For example, the universe that was reopened for the fourth time.

The strong force there is much weaker than the universe at this moment.

In this case, a large number of protons are far away from each other and it is difficult for them to merge. Therefore, to form a star, it is necessary to gather a large number of atoms.

In such a universe, the space appears to be extremely empty, and only contains a small number of large stars.

When the strong force is weak enough, it is enough to form such a universe-

In this universe, there is only one star, and this star contains all the matter in the universe.

This will be a highly concentrated star, but there is almost no interaction between matter, and the amount of radiation it emits may not be as strong as that of an ordinary sun.

This is a stable soup of matter, a star with a radius of 600,000 light years.

Because this star is a collection of all matter in the universe, the size of this universe is only 600,000 light years in radius.

After all, time and space still need basic units to define. No matter how big the space is, if it is absolutely empty, it is meaningless.

The situation of this universe opened Li Qi's mind.

Because he knew that the strong force between matter is exerted through mesons, and the strength of the force field depends on the number of mesons, and the number of mesons is adjustable for the third grade.

Once the number of mesons decreases or increases, that place becomes an "abnormal area" that can be used in the battle between the three grades, just like creating a parallel universe.

Similar conversations continue, different universes, different forms of existence.

Zhang Zong keeps recounting his adventures, many rich experiences and having reached the third grade, with a clearer mind, which enables Zhang Zong and Li Qi to better understand the universe itself rationally and emotionally.

From the constantly reopened universe, they now look at the universe, which seems to be less and less incredible.

Of course, the universe is beyond the three grades, and the three grades exist as the basic constituent material of the universe, so for the three grades, the universe itself is still full of incredible.

Zhang Zong and Li Qi have no doubt that the universe is "self-sufficient".

It is a system with no logical basis and no creator. Even if the Yipins continue to look back and reopen the universe, they can only go back to the 'beginning', which is the moment when the universe was created, and cannot go back to the longer past. .

Because, there is no longer past, before the birth of the universe, time and space itself did not exist, so naturally you cannot reach a place that does not exist.

For the First Graders, their starting point is the moment the universe was born. If they interfere at this moment, they can interfere with all the properties of the universe, but they cannot transcend the universe itself.

After all...the universe is not just an ordinary 'observable universe', but the beginning of everything.

The meaning of the universe is that all time and all space are everything, a function that contains all things, and a book that records all books.

Even the so-called 'multiverse' that ordinary people imagine is far from the vastness of this 'real universe'.

After all, the multiverse that everyone speculates on may not be as large as the observable universe that is expanding infinitely today.

The real universe itself is ‘True Infinity’.

Behind every moment of the universe is an infinite existence at work.

During the discussion, Li Qi and Zhang Zong continued to work hard to peer into every insignificant cosmic event, trying to discover the essential characteristics of the infinite existence behind it. This infinite existence does not have a real name, let's just call it 'Tao'.

But although they could peek, they found nothing.

Although in all events and every incident, one can detect a little bit of the 'Tao', but if one continues to trace back, one finds that one cannot find the end, as if the end is also 'infinite'.

There is no doubt that Zhang Zong and Li Qi are already at the third level, but when they begin to face the universe, they will also find that they are facing a terrifying existence, but precisely because of its infinity, they cannot impose any characteristics on it .

The universe contains everything, even the universe itself.

Therefore, the universe is infinite, not just the infinity of real numbers, but also higher-order uncountable infinity. The infinity of the continuum is a collection of infinity and infinity.

Discussing the reopening of the universe is like studying the properties of all rocky planets in the universe through a single stone.

Despite this, Li Qi and Zhang Zong still enjoyed it.

This is the fun of chasing each other.

This discussion lasted for twelve years.

Then, the two stopped in time.

It's almost time, it's time to go find Xiang Liu. (End of chapter)