Chapter 1073: How Many Levels of Qi Deviation Are There?

For Wang Ling and Loopy Toad, this was undoubtedly a dilemma. The undertaker's conscience was contaminated by the heart demon, and the two had already become one. If the old man in front of them was killed, his heart demon would disappear, but his conscience would be swallowed up at the same time.

Wang Ling realized that he couldn't make a move himself. The situation was starting to become a lot more worrying.

The most critical thing was that Wang Ling had never encountered anything like this before.

If he couldn't solve this old man's problem, then even if he found all those who had eaten the special frozen dumplings, he would still be unable to solve the root of the problem. Furthermore, over a long period of time, everyone else's conscience might be corroded to a greater degree compared with the undertaker.

What should he do?

Look for Heavenly Dao to ask about the situation?

Wang Ling was wondering how to solve the current predicament.

He couldn't go wrong by asking Heavenly Dao if he couldn't fix a problem.

Perhaps the Heavenly Dao Treasury had some magic treasure that could resolve this problem.

Thinking this, Wang Ling bit his finger and started to set up a Heavenly Dao Summoning Array inside the small cabin.

The old man didn't know who Wang Ling and Loopy Toad were, but seeing how they were actually able to penetrate this place, he knew that they weren't ordinary people. Now, seeing Wang Ling construct an array he didn't recognize, the old man couldn't be any more shocked; all of this was too overwhelming.

Wang Ling looked to be only about as old as the old man's young son, but he was unexpectedly so amazing.

A moment later, the Heavenly Dao little golden man was summoned once more.

This time, however, the little golden man clearly looked like he was suffering.

"Heart demon corrosion?" The little golden man was immediately aware of the situation. The Heavenly Dao little golden men were all very pure beings who symbolized supremacy, light and pure holiness, and would instinctively feel uncomfortable in such a polluted environment.

It was like a human who had lived in the woods for a very long time suddenly coming to a city full of heavy traffic and exhaust fumes, which was bound to be hard to adapt to.

The house was still shrinking. If the very last bit of conscience was completely corroded by the heart demon, the only thing that awaited the old man was destruction.

"It's too late."

The little golden man knew why Wang Ling had summoned him.

A golden light was released from his body, and several large golden hands covered in obscure runes stretched out from the sky to firmly prop up the walls of the house.

But this could only delay the heart demon corrosion, and couldn't prevent it from happening.

"Now what?" Loopy Toad couldn't help asking.

The little golden man wiped at his sweat. It was clear that even Heavenly Dao had never imagined that the situation would be this tricky. "I've been a part of Heavenly Dao for hundreds of years, and I can be considered knowledgeable, but why haven't I seen this Great Dao before?"

Loopy Toad replied, "Of course you haven't. This Great Dao belongs to my little master's little sister, though she hasn't been born yet."

The little man was struck by realization.

It turned out that another big shot devil was going to be born...

And this was clearly a she-devil.

She actually had this sort of power even before she was born - she surpassed what Wang Ling had been like back then.

The little golden man was well aware that Wang Ling only started to run wild after he was born; he had been very well-behaved when he was still in the womb.

Who would have thought that the next one would be even more worrying...

Does Heaven want to kill off us Heavenly Dao?!

The little golden man sobbed inwardly.

"Don't cry. Is there a way to fix this?" Loopy Toad asked.

"Heart demon corrosion actually isn't uncommon." The little golden man wore a solemn expression and began to analyze the situation. "Usually, there are only a few ways a heart demon can invade someone. The first is during qi deviation. This is the most common way one is corroded by a heart demon, as well as the simplest and most crude. The victim's qi and blood will flow in reverse, thus endangering his life. It looks very serious, but is the lowest level of heart demon corrosion. As long as there's someone watching him who realizes in time that he's experiencing a qi deviation, medication can be used to alleviate the condition."

"There are levels?"

"Of course there are levels... Every year, Heavenly Dao takes in countless people who die from qi deviation. The victims are usually missing part of their three spiritual and seven physical souls, so a large number of them are unable to reincarnate into humans."

So there was this sort of principle...

Wang Ling's and Loopy Toad's horizons were broadened once again.

"Then what level am I at?" When the old man heard this, he couldn't help asking about his situation. He looked very apprehensive as his entire body trembled.

"Don't rush me, I'll explain everything."

The little golden man said unhurriedly, "There are three levels of heart demon corrosion. What I was talking about just now is the third and lowest level. Next, I'll talk about the second level. A level 2 heart demon corrosion commonly happens when one's Dao heart collapses, and is caused by many things.

"For example, the share market crashes; your girlfriend breaks up with you; you didn't draw the chess piece you wanted in Auto Chess and you're killed at full health by a player with low health; you're missing one number on your lottery ticket; the author you like doesn't update; you were scammed in an eSports bet; you haven't written a single word of your homework when the summer break is about to end; and so on..."

"..."

"In short, the reasons a Dao heart collapses are complex and many, and usually have something to do with one's mental tolerance. In addition, based on annual statistics from the Heavenly Dao Governing Committee, the higher a person's realm, the more likely a cultivator's Dao heart will collapse. A high realm and position often means that he has higher self-esteem than the average person, and when something hits the bottom line in his heart, this will produce a huge sense of frustration that leads to the collapse of his Dao heart."

The little golden man continued, "There are many cultivators who die every year because their Dao hearts collapsed, but the condition can be treated. A Dao heart can also be adjusted with medication. If you have the Bell of Purification, which is one of the Heavenly Dao's Thirty-Three Precious Treasures, the collapse of a Dao heart at levels 2 and 3 can even be instantly cured.

"As for level 1, the situation is more complex. A level 1 heart demon corrosion is a combination of the second and third levels; that is to say, one's Dao heart collapses because of qi deviation... when a level 1 heart demon corrosion occurs, a cultivator will die in a short ten seconds, unless first aid is administered very promptly. This is relatively rare."

"Have there been any cases?"

"Of course..."

The little golden man said, "For example, the Heavenly Dao Governing Committee received the soul of a cultivator who happened to experience a qi deviation when he was in seclusion. Before he was completely cured, he texted his family to say that he was fine. However, he never expected his fiancée to marry someone else while he was in seclusion... so his Dao heart directly collapsed on top of his qi deviation!"

"..."

"Then, as for me..." The old man pointed at himself and looked eagerly at the little golden man.

"As for you, level 0," the little golden man replied.

"There's a level 0?"

"Mm, it's also the highest level. I decided after observing the current situation - in my report to the Heavenly Dao Governing Committee, I plan to apply for an upgrade of the grading system. This level 0 heart demon corrosion is much worse than I imagined..."