The first layer of the Primordial Demon Clan's ruins was even larger than several sports fields combined, almost rivaling an airport. The first level of the ruins constituted a gigantic labyrinth. However, according to the information transmitted back by the surveying mechanical beast released by Wang Qi, this was not quite the case. The corridors here were designed to guide the flow of Spirit Power. Directed by the corridors, nature's spiritual energy moved naturally, woven into a suppressing law above the ruins, sealing the catastrophe below.

The corridors were quite wide, thirty meters high and about fifty meters wide. This didn't seem at all like a pathway intended for humans.

"Of course not, meow! When the Primordial Demon Clan was active, the ape family had just begun to appear, meow! It's not possible that the Transformation Demon Clan was the Human Transformation Clan!" Mao Zimiao explained.

Yet Wang Qi pondered and said, "That raises a question I'm very curious about. Before the birth of the Human Clan, the Demon Clan also had members advancing from the Golden Core to the Transformation Stage, right? So, what form did they take during their Transformation?"

Mao Zimiao shook her head: "Xiao Qi, there's a misunderstanding in your thinking, meow! Transformation is not a Divine Skill that demon beasts automatically acquire after cultivating to the Transformation Stage. It is an acquired ability that requires learning. Not every member of the Demon Clan who reaches the Transformation Stage can transform. Before the appearance of the Human Clan, the civilization of the Demon Clan had already been severed, and the only learning abilities were passed down through the mouths of a very few individuals. Before humans emerged, the art of Transformation was not widespread at all... Oh, the case might be a bit different in the sea, due to the Dragon Clan's presence, so some Water Clan members under their protection maintained some civilization, and some members of the Sea Demon Clan would choose to take on the Dragon Form, meow!"

"This corridor, it's not convenient for a Dragon Form either..."

"That's the Sea Demon Clan, meow!" Mao Zimiao reminded: "The Land Demon Clan and the Sea Demon Clan are completely different. The Dragon Clan seems to never come onto land, having little impact on both the Renewal Demon Clan and the Primordial Demon Clan..."

But Wang Qi still had opinions: "However, in the early days of Human Clan civilization, the Dragon Clan Civilization indeed had a great impact on us. Look, even now, the image of a dragon is still a symbol of authority and nobility..."

"That's a matter that hasn't been conclusively determined yet..." Mao Zimiao was about to explain various theories regarding the civilization of the Demon Clan to Wang Qi. Suddenly, Wang Qi made an expression of surprise and exclaimed.

"What's wrong, meow?"

"I saw Old Ai and Shiqin..." Wang Qi smacked his lips: "I... really... this is really..."

"Meow?" Mao Zimiao's ears perked up: "How are they doing? Are they okay? Don't scare me, Xiao Qi!"

"They're fine... in all sorts of ways..."

Wang Qi had a strange look on his face.

At that same time, within a certain illusion in Wang Qi's mind, Zhen Chan looked at Wang Qi with confusion: "Your expression just now was a bit off, boy."

He had been pulled into this illusion by Wang Qi to analyze the reports that were sent back and to devise tactics. The illusions created by Wang Qi was a command room with a very strong sci-fi style, surrounded by numerous virtual projections. These were visual signals stolen by the Heart Demon Curse.

He had seen Ai Changyuan and Wu Shiqin long ago. However, he did not want to bring too much mental pressure to Mao Zimiao, so he didn't mention it.

The way the Heart Demon Curse spread was not only through "injecting Heart Demon Curse Power." Rather, that method should be the least common way of infection. Its truly fearsome aspect was the "Human Dao System Transmission," which had the broadest spread and was the most difficult to guard against. As long as the connections between people were complex enough, they would attract and convert nature's spiritual energy, generating the primitive Power of Human Dao. Conversations, transactions, deceptions, and contracts between people all triggered this power—and this power was the main channel through which the Heart Demon Curse spread.

As long as there was conversation, correspondence, or social interactions, there would be links between people, and the Heart Demon Curse could spread through these connections.

If there was one person infected with the Heart Demon Curse within a sect, then sooner or later the entire sect would be saturated with it. Even if this disciple had no sense of belonging to the sect and fled at the first sign of trouble, as long as the concept of "I belong to this sect" was present in his cognition, then a connection would form with the Human Dao System of that sect. A year ago, Divine Capital was rapidly infected in this manner. This method, compared to the direct injection, was much slower, but it was incredibly difficult to prevent.

"I saw something remarkable." Wang Qi's mouth twitched as he raised what was in his hand.

It was the new Cultivation that Ai Changyuan had handed over to the Ancient Method Practitioners.

At this very moment, all the Golden Cores on the other side had fallen. And naturally, Wang Qi had gotten hold of this Cultivation method, which had already been distributed to everyone. As soon as Wang Qi discovered this Cultivation method, he analyzed it and then deduced Ai Changyuan's intentions.

Then...seeing how ruthless Old Ai was, I felt at ease...

Zhen Chan was also very interested, "Is it really a Gravity Skill that even Ancient Method Practitioners can learn? Is there something fishy about it?"

Wang Qi thought for a while and sighed, "These native cultivators are too wicked... Compared to Ai Changyuan, I'm really much more honorable."

Zhen Chan said with disdain, "The fact you could even think of eating shit shows you're beyond hope!"

"No, no, no, my idea of eating shit is honestly much more honorable—on many levels," Wang Qi said. "The Heart Demon Curse can be resisted through cultivation, and the shame of eating shit can be suppressed with willpower, but this trick... this trick is truly vicious."

Zhen Chan was startled, "How so?"

"By tempering the inner ear, Yongquan, and Laogong acupoints, permanently altering the properties of these acupoints... Condensing a Divine Power Talisman... Cultivating a trace of Gravity Magic Power..." Wang Qi explained, "Once you have cultivated this law, your entire person will become like a magic artifact, with your life and death at the mercy of others."

"That's... terrifying?"

"He gave the wrong cultivation methods. Without external intervention, those Ancient Method Practitioners can control their own strength as easily as moving their own limbs. However, their control power over this mana is actually very weak... A simple Wanxiang Heavenly Attraction can manipulate the force as easily as controlling ordinary gravity," Wang Qi said. "This is what's so frightening. Gravity is an inexplicable force formed by space itself, almost unstoppable; ordinary mana has no influence over Gravity Magic Power, only gravity can interfere with the operation of ordinary mana. Even if it could, your mana system would not guard against its own power... Understand?"

"Having cultivated this, it's like burying a Forbidden Technique in your own body... That's really doomed!" Zhen Chan lamented, "It's simply... the practice of the Demon Path..."

Wang Qi asked in confusion, "What's the problem with this power, which does not lead to a violent temperament?"

Zhen Chan shook his head, "I did not mean to belittle this method; I am just reflecting on it. Mana is the essence of a person's body, the root of longevity, the most essential thing for a cultivator. The Mysterious Sect Righteous Technique only involves painstaking cultivation of each bit of mana..."

"That's because you haven't realized the essence of mana as something external to the body!" Wang Qi shook his head.

Why is private property considered sacred and inviolable? Because at a certain historical period, one's survival and development relied solely on one's private property. Without private property, a person certainly couldn't survive. At that time, private property was an extension of the concepts of "life" and "spirit." That's why private property was "sacred."

But in modern Earth, even in a country that calls itself the "Democracy Lighthouse," this is not emphasized in the constitution. Because compared to social well-being, private property is not inherently sacred; social contracts require freedom, thus every individual must give up certain rights. When the portion gained from society exceeds the portion surrendered, private property no longer relates to one's life and death, spiritual dignity. It is no longer sacred but merely protected by law.

Some cultures respect corpses, believing that one day everyone will resurrect, and the corpse is their dependence for resurrection in the Mortal World. Some cultures believe that the welfare of their ancestors in the Underworld is related to the status of their ancestral graves, affecting the fate of their descendants. In these cultures, the concept of "respect for the deceased" and the sanctity of the dead are also extensions of the idea that "survival comes first."

"Mana" in this cosmic is the "capital" for one to move from a short life toward longevity, from weakness to strength. For cultivators, it is their most important "private property." The idea that "plundering others' mana is an Evil Path" is just another way of saying "private property is inviolable." Those who choose to plunder others' mana are often demon people or villains, as rapid mana growth can shake the soul, unsettle the mind. But this is not the reason for the conception that "plundering others' mana is an Evil Path." After all, throughout the years, there have been perfected methods in the Demon Path for fully plundering others' power.

Zhen Chan frowned, seemingly contemplating Wang Qi's viewpoint, "Then what do you say is truly owned by a person?"

What can represent one's essence? What item can be regarded as "me" rather than something external?

Wang Qi shrugged his shoulders, "This has entered the realm of philosophy. It's actually quite difficult to clarify."

What exactly is the "self"? A pile of memories? The "thinking" of a special algorithm system? A combination of the two? This physical body? Various social recognitions? Or is it all of the above?

Skipping over this question, Wang Qi sighed, "Compared to Old Ai, I'm the one who's truly like using the Heavenly Sword to crack walnuts, a sheer waste of a divine object. To think that I influenced superficial consciousness with suggestions, giving people a chance to suppress the suggestions with willpower... I've been too naive."

If "consciousness" is the operating system of "life," then "conscious" is an unfriendly user interface. Everyone's thoughts are free, but no one can fully control their own thoughts.

But from a deeper perspective, consciousness is just the user interface of the larger System. Concepts like "determination" and "decision" involve elevating the priority of a certain thought process. "To sacrifice life for righteousness" means elevating a command's priority above "survival." "Heart Defense" and "willpower" are about selectively blocking malignant pop-ups.

But a truly powerful virus can burn out the computer physically without any abnormality on the user interface. In this case, it's useless even if you memorize the manual of the operating system.

"The Divine Plague Curse Technique can actually ignore a person's willpower and directly invade the subconscious," Wang Qi said. "Making the shame of eating shit repeatedly play in his consciousness is actually a very weak application."

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to recommend and vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)