I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

Li Lin peered through the crack in the door, his eyes wide open.

His gesture of sticking out his buttocks was quite strange; from a distance, others could see a dark shadow pressed against the door frame.

"What are you doing?" a voice rang out beside him. Li Lin turned his head and saw Yan Fei standing next to him with her arms crossed.

An old woman stood behind her, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating, while Shen He appeared unfazed.

"Give me a few strands of hair," Li Lin said, extending his hand to the people behind him.

Is there something wrong with him? His owner is right there beside him.

Yan Fei sighed, stepped forward, and plucked a few strands of hair from Li Lin's head, placing them in his hand.

"You little rascal." Li Lin winced in pain, but this was not the time to argue with Yan Fei. As someone who lived off the double-horned axe, how could he not prove himself in the Qi Xiang event?

Li Lin twisted the end of his hair between his fingers, pinched the other end, and carefully probed the hair through the crack in the door. Then, he pressed his ear against the wooden door and began to use the strands of hair to touch any hidden mechanisms inside.

He looked focused, as if he were doing something sacred rather than trying to pry open a door.

It wasn't until Li Lin had been sticking the door shut for about half an hour that Yan Fei said hesitantly, "If my memory serves me right, the law firm's door has a bolt."

Li Lin's body stiffened slightly, his hands remaining still: "What do you want to say?"

"Can a door latch be opened with a hair?"

"Damn it! Why didn't you warn me sooner?!" Enraged, Li Lin began to shift the blame.

“So,” Yan Fei sighed, both amused and exasperated, “who exactly is that person who’s been lying at someone’s door trying to pry open the latch with their hair?”

"I am Zhongli, and I will not change my name or surname." Li Lin raised his hand to throw the tuft of hair on the ground, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He reached out and wiped his hair, activating his metalworking skills.

Casting begins!

The clanging of metal rang out, and a fleeting flash of sparks transformed the hair into steel needles of unimaginable hardness.

Li Lin held the steel needle in his hand and slashed it down, causing the door latch behind the door to snap and smash to the ground with a crack.

"How about that!" Li Lin proudly raised the steel needle.

"......well."

Yan Fei sighed and untied the law book from her waist: "Mr. Li, True Man Li, Heavenly Lord Li, do you know how many laws of Liyue you violated with your action just now?"

"Wrong, it was all Zhongli's doing." Li Lin's eyes darted around. "He ordered me to do it! I didn't have a chance before, but now I want to be a good person!"

Yan Fei shook her head and snapped the legal code in her hand shut: "Forget it, it's the same whether I go to you or Mr. Zhongli. I'll just go to him for the money tomorrow... By the way, Grandma, is this the Dongming Lihuo Tianjun, the Savior of Suffering and Calamity Li Zhenren that you've always wanted to meet? How is it? A bit of a disillusionment?"

Beside Yan Fei stood an old lady with a youthful face and white hair, kind eyes and gentle features. Her white hair was tied up at the back of her head, her hands were behind her back, her back was slightly bent, but her eyes were as bright as Bao Yu's.

"No, no, no, this is true childlike innocence. If this isn't a genuine person, then who else deserves this title?"

The old lady named Granny Ping looked at Li Lin with a kind and gentle expression, seemingly unaffected by Li Lin's actions.

Li Lin was taken aback: "Are you alright?"

How can anyone praise him like that?

"How could an old woman like me be mistaken? Even if my eyesight is failing... hehe." Granny Ping walked over and pushed open the door whose latch had been broken. "Are the people of Liyue Harbor blind?"

"In just a few days, several temples of salvation have been built in Liyue Harbor. Apart from the one that Yuhengxing was the first to oversee, the rest were built by the people of Liyue themselves. The temple keepers are all virtuous and kind people from the surrounding neighborhoods. They use the name of the Salvation Master to carry out good deeds and lend a helping hand, but they do not ask for anything in return. Isn't this a good thing?"

"Beneath the archway of Liyue Harbor, there are now two iron statues of adulterous lovers. The old woman feels a sense of satisfaction. You should know that while immortals have compassionate hearts, they should also have ruthless methods. Otherwise, how could the immortals have eliminated demons and evil spirits and laid the foundation for Liyue's achievements in the past?"

Grandma Ping turned and patted Yan Fei's shoulder as she said this: "You must learn from your Uncle Li. Since you have chosen the path of law, you should understand the balance between legal principles and people's hearts."

"When I returned from Biyue Plains, I passed through Qingce Village. Even those old folks who are out of touch with the world already know that there is such a hermit in Liyue Harbor. Yun'er from Yu Tea House is also compiling a storybook and will soon be making a new play. The storyteller is also telling your story."

Grandma Ping came to the seat and pulled Li Lin to sit down: "Come, come, sit down!"

202 What kind of main storyline is this slowly unfolding?

Grandma Ping's evaluation of Li Lin was higher than she had imagined.

However, considering the buff she gave the blond protagonist when fighting Oser, which was a true damage shockwave that ignored shields, one can perhaps glimpse her true nature from it.

As everyone knows, Li Lin's personality is such that he can't stand being praised; he'll become arrogant if he's praised.

Grandma Ping remained completely unsurprised by this, and even praised Li Lin's attitude, making one wonder if all the immortals had lost their minds from reading so much.

As for Li Lin's true intentions in coming to see her, Grandma Ping gladly accepted them.

"Since you young ones are here today, I, this old woman, will give you a proper explanation of the Outer Realm Dao taught by the Emperor."

Grandma Ping stood up, and the patterns on her sleeve began to spin. Her hand also became enormous, sweeping across everyone's vision. In an instant, the world spun around, and the small room was replaced by a vast and boundless sea of ​​clouds.

They were on a square continent suspended in a sea of ​​clouds, looking at the empty, boundless clouds in the distance, with the sun in the sky serving as their light source.

Li Lin was presented with a different kind of prompt.

[Fourth-Tier Secret Technique: Exterior View]

[Rank: Remnant]

[Nature/Appearance: Heart]

[The exterior is the skin peeled away from a dream, the exterior is the unwilling corpse of a demon, the exterior is the wedge that defines reality and illusion... But we can still find solace and shelter in it, like the protection that silk provides us in the woods, and the heart that bleeds and dies for the world.]

Do not associate it with your guardian spirit.

The outer realm is a secret transmission of the "heart" principle, which is not unexpected for Li Lin. Just as the cauldron belongs to casting and the talisman belongs to lamp, neither the cauldron nor the talisman has a final hint.

Li Lin's guardian spirit is an absurdly large Dementor. As a being that is also a mental entity, why can't it be merged with the external landscape?

The esoteric simulator has the same type of secret techniques of the same rank that can be merged and upgraded. However, my system panel is now issuing a warning. Does this mean that some irreversible adverse changes will occur after the Dementor obtains the "Outer View"?

Li Lin drew his attention back to Grandma Ping, who had begun to explain the origins of the Way of the Outer Scene.

"...The Way of the Outer Realm was not originally the authority of the Emperor, nor was it even a talisman."

Yan Fei's eyes widened: "But that's not what Dad said."

"What does that kid know!" Grandma Ping seemed very heartbroken when she mentioned Yan Fei's father. "He didn't learn alchemy when I taught him alchemy, he was inconsistent when I taught him talismans, he had some talent in external objects but didn't work hard to improve, he can do a lot of things but he's only superficially proficient in everything... Yan Fei, you mustn't be like your father."

"Okay, okay!" Yan Fei sat up straight as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Speaking of which, back then, Liyue—" Grandma Ping began again.

“Great demons harass the seas, and evil dragons lurk in the mountains,” Li Lin casually replied.

Yan Fei cast a gloating glance at Li Lin: Grandma Ping hates being interrupted the most.

Unexpectedly, Granny Ping simply smiled and nodded: "That's right, that's indeed the case. The great demon in the sea refers to the vortex demon god Oser; the evil dragon in the mountains refers to the rock demon beast Chilong that once occupied Qingce Village."

Yan Fei's eyes widened. When did Grandma Ping become so approachable and friendly when she was lecturing?

"But that's not all. In the past, there were many other demon gods on the land of Liyue. Besides Morax, who later became the Geo Archon, there was also the Dust Archon Guizan and the Hearth Archon Maxis. These three demon gods formed the initial prototype of Liyue. In the north of Liyue, there was the weak Salt Archon Heureia. In the west of Liyue, there was a giant dragon that lived in symbiosis with the ley lines, namely the Dragon King Rota. It once fought alongside the Archon until they turned against each other."

"In the sea, besides the most powerful vortex demon god Oser, there is also the sea god Baqiu, which was worshipped by the fishermen of Liyue and Inazuma in the past, and the serpent god Ourobas, who could not defeat the rock god's spear and fled to Inazuma in panic, where he was killed by the thunder god of the neighboring country with a single slash."

"Oh, right, there's also that Dream Demon God who once tricked and manipulated the Great Sage Who Subdued Demons, causing him to commit countless sins at that time."

"She ruthlessly manipulated people's will, crushing and whipping their souls. Xiao was imprisoned by her true name and manipulated by her to devour the brains of countless virtuous and righteous people, swallowing their beautiful dreams—until later, the Rock King Emperor carved a long bow from the precious jade of the layered rock abyss, shot an arrow from a high mountain, and nailed her to his jade throne."

Grandma Ping stood with her hands behind her back and her head slightly raised. "The original form of the talisman was designed by the Demon God of Dust, Gui Zhong. She referenced the appearances of many demon gods, such as Oser, Evil Dragon, Eight Dragons, and even Orobas, and drew dragons and snakes on the most ordinary yellow paper."

"Heaven and earth are originally round and harmonious, and dragons and snakes are one." Granny Ping repeated the words that Gui Zhong had said in the past. "Although I do not know the profound meaning of these words, and the Emperor always remains silent whenever I ask, it does not prevent me from telling you these words."

Ultimately, it was by replicating the forms of many demon gods on paper that the prototype of talismans was created, laying the foundation for one of the three ultimate skills of immortals.

Upon Gui Zhong's death, this authority was transferred to the Rock King Morax, who then passed it on to his eldest disciple, "True Lord of Moon-Cutting Sun."

“I know!” Li Lin suddenly raised his hand.

Grandma Ping shifted her gaze and smiled, "Do you know the meaning of this sentence?"

She clearly didn't believe it.

“I know, but I won’t say.” Li Lin has never disappointed in his ability to do so. “What is forbidden has its own power.”

"I knew it......"

What am I expecting?

Shen He and Yan Fei wore expressions of certainty, clearly having anticipated Li Lin's answer.

Only Granny Ping's expression gradually became serious. She realized that the Rock King Emperor might have realized a similar situation in the past, which was why he reduced the power of the talisman, so that it no longer had the power to command demons and gods.

If the art of talismans truly reached a forbidden realm in the past—was there also a conspiracy behind the death of the God of Dust Returning to the End?

Grandma Ping forced herself to suppress her shock and shook her head: "We won't talk about talismans. If you are interested in this, you can go and find True Lord Xiaoyue Zhuyang. The scenery I described actually comes from the Dream Demon God."

"The Rock King nailed the Dream Demon God to the nail, then skinned her and used her blood to erase the Yaksha's true name from the skin. Only then was the Yaksha clan freed from the Dream Demon God's shackles."

Grandma Ping stopped her narration, looked at Yan Fei's somewhat reluctant expression, and shook her head: "You, after studying law for so many years, still don't understand human nature? Demon gods love people, it's just that they love in different ways, and their personalities are largely no different from human nature—if the Emperor doesn't use this thunderous method to intimidate the demon gods of all directions, how can he shoulder the responsibility of Liyue when Gui Zhong dies and the God of the Hearth is in decline?"

"Among the seventy-two demon gods, only the Emperor always stands at the forefront of Liyue, forever with his back to the people of Liyue, revealing boundless killing intent with his unmoving black stone face."

"The Way of the Outer Realm is the power that the Emperor bestowed upon us after stripping the Dream Demon God of his authority and rendering him harmless. Its key can be summed up in just one sentence."

Grandma Ping spoke those words.

Its sound was like a strange thunder, or like a heartbeat.

Its pronunciation is difficult to understand, and if it is barely translated into words that the people of Liyue can understand, it means "With my heart, I speak for the heart of heaven".

But when it reached Li Lin's ears, it made his heart beat even faster.