The moon tilted towards the far west, and Tai Bai hung high in the sky. The indistinct outline of dawn faintly emerged at the waist of the mountains.
This was the second time Meng Qi faced A-nan directly. However, during their previous encounter at the battle of Vulture Peak, he had seen the Demon Buddha A-nan, wearing dark golden kasaya and exposing one shoulder. Now, it was the original Venerable A-nan, one of the two most outstanding among the ten great disciples of the Buddha, and once the ancient Thunder God.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t truly a face-to-face meeting, because this was only an imprint. Without the Buddha suppressing him, what Meng Qi would have seen would have been the “historical shadow” left by the Demon Buddha A-nan, which could transform into the Demon Buddha at any moment. He would never see the pure Venerable A-nan again, even if he could trace the past and dominate the future.
For those who had reached the other shore, their state of existence had already transcended the Real World, partially surpassing the river of time. Attempting to eliminate threats by slaying them in their weaker forms was pure fantasy. If one couldn’t defeat them now, going back in time wouldn’t help either.
Of course, going back in time wasn’t entirely ineffective against those who had reached the other shore, because different individuals had different depths of retroactive perception. Beginners often only traced back to their first incarnation, while the oldest of the transcendent beings, the Primordial Heaven Venerable, could trace back to the very beginning of all things. If the Primordial Heaven Venerable had chosen to destroy the world right after the birth of the multiverse, subsequent transcendent beings would have perished in their cradle. The Primordial Treasure Venerable’s idea of starting anew might have meant just that. Unfortunately, the oldest transcendent beings weren’t only him.
In other words, the more powerful a transcendent being was, the “older” they became.
For transcendent beings, a common weakness was the future, which held countless possibilities and branching paths. Without attaining the fruit of Dao, one could not occupy all these futures, leaving opportunities for enemies. Once events had passed, trying to trace back and make up for them would be in vain. Would the enemy willingly allow it? Without forming alliances or increasing one’s “ancient” status, how could one easily make up for such gaps?
After the Demon Sage attained the Other Shore, he suffered a crushing defeat at Vulture Peak precisely because of this. Considering that the Demon Buddha made no attempt to alter the course of the Vulture Peak Tribulation, there must have been other transcendent beings present at that time.
Only transcendent beings could constrain other transcendent beings!
For ordinary beings trapped in the sea of suffering, transcendent beings had, to some extent, already defied normal logic and thus could not be resisted. Even with the advantage of a weakened, sleeping, or otherwise compromised state, a lucky victory in a single encounter would still lead to ultimate defeat once the transcendent being recovered, traced back, and altered history. Not even a memory of the previous triumph would remain—one would only recall having lost from the very beginning.
Therefore, thinking of the Demon Buddha and the Eternal Mother (Golden Emperor), Meng Qi deeply felt that the path ahead was long and arduous, and he could not afford to slacken.
The gray-robed monk A-nan stepped onto the stone path, ascending toward the pavilion halfway up the mountain. He had sensed the presence of Shu Sheng, Meng Qi, and Bi Jingxuan. A pair of weary, sorrowful eyes, yet strangely clear, turned toward them.
Meng Qi met his gaze, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
A-nan shifted his gaze to Shu Sheng, nodded slightly with a calm expression, and intended to pass by the pavilion and climb to the mountain’s peak, showing no reaction to Meng Qi, as if he were nothing special.
Indeed, this was only an imprint, capable of responding only according to the historical course, unable to perceive the sudden appearance of me and his own connection… Meng Qi sighed inwardly.
Shu Sheng stood up, patted his ancient robe, combed his snow-white hair, and cheerfully stepped out of the pavilion, blocking A-nan’s path and bowing politely: “Master, may I ask your name? This old man wishes to ask for directions.”
A-nan, maintaining his sorrowful expression, clasped his hands: “The body is empty, the name is empty. You may call this humble monk anything you wish.”
“What path do you wish to inquire about?”
Meng Qi and Bi Jingxuan walked behind Shu Sheng. He heard Shu Sheng cheerfully ask: “This old man wishes to ask the way to the ruins of the Celestial Court.”
A-nan hesitated for a moment, and even Meng Qi inwardly sucked in his breath. Shu Sheng spoke so directly and arrogantly, as if he already knew everything and was proud of it. If it had been Meng Qi, he would have wanted to punch him too, just like he had wanted to punch Wang, the fake prophet. It seemed his previous suspicions were wrong; they were indeed father and son, just of two different styles.
It wasn’t easy for Shu Sheng to live so long and so gloriously. Unfortunately, he had suffered consecutive setbacks, finally learning from his mistakes and leaving family instructions. If Meng Qi had given him some “guidance” earlier, would he have awakened sooner and suffered fewer setbacks?
A-nan lowered his eyes, turning his prayer beads with his left hand: “If you wish to go, follow this humble monk.”
His tone was plain and indifferent, the standard demeanor of a great monk or Bodhisattva.
At this moment, the demonic thoughts in him had not yet taken over… Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully, suddenly noticing the prayer beads in A-nan’s hand. Unlike the black or brown beads of others, this string had only five beads. One was yellowish, one transparent and moist, one purple, one black and white intertwined, and one pale. They were forged from the qi of merit, holy virtue, fortune, morality, and yin virtue, respectively, of very high rank.
Were these divine treasures crafted by A-nan based on the Five Virtues of the Demon Sage? Could they be tokens of affection? Thinking of this, Meng Qi suddenly recalled something and his scalp prickled.
At this moment, A-nan should possess the “Wheel Sealing”!
The Wheel Sealing had not been suppressed, and through it, the Demon Buddha could project power and establish the Six Paths of Reincarnation!
Don’t do anything too provocative to the Wheel Sealing; it might retaliate on its own… Meng Qi was currently only relieved that the Wheel Sealing was also an ancient divine weapon forged long ago, needing to sleep to resist the erosion of the river of time. Otherwise, he would have already been captured.
Of course, if the Wheel Sealing awakened at all costs, the Absolute Blade might not necessarily help, since no one knew how much of its Demon Buddha mark had been worn away.
Moreover, so many great beings and powerful cultivators who did not wish to see the Demon Buddha’s perfection would not watch idly as the Wheel Sealing captured him?
Others might attack him, but the Demon Buddha’s faction certainly couldn’t!
The gray-robed Anan, with a precept knife hanging at his waist, exuding an air of worldly sophistication, strode toward the mountain peak without another word. Shu Sheng, Meng Qi, and Bi Jingxuan followed closely behind.
After walking for a while, Meng Qi noticed that A-nan’s path was quite mysterious, seemingly in accordance with some formation.
Could this be the forced route to open the ruins of the Celestial Court? As Meng Qi was puzzled, he heard Bi Jingxuan’s gentle voice in his ear: “Daoist friend Su, do you know this monk’s identity? I observe that he is no ordinary figure.”
Through casual conversation during the wait, she had learned that Meng Qi, Lu Daxian, and others came from the Real World, the core region of the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Worlds, which had been isolated for a long time. The past they were currently in was the mid-ancient era of this region, so he was familiar with its history and figures.
Heh, you came to the right person by asking me. Even Shu Sheng might not recognize A-nan after his reincarnation… Meng Qi said nonchalantly, “He is Venerable A-nan, one of the Buddha’s ten great disciples. He’s currently using the method of worldly engagement to escape the sea of suffering.”
“Venerable A-nan? During the great calamity at Vulture Peak, he did not perish?” Bi Jingxuan clearly knew of the Vulture Peak incident, knowing that all the Buddhas had entered Nirvana, and the Great Sages had vanished, with few escaping.
But she didn’t know the core truth—that A-nan was the very culprit! Meng Qi’s mind raced as he replied: “Indeed, during the great calamity at Vulture Peak, great cultivators like Venerable Manjusri and Venerable Kasyapa did not escape and perished, only a few like Venerable A-nan survived. Miss Bi, do you know how the Vulture Peak calamity happened back then?”
Did the Three Immortal Ladies have records of these events?
Bi Jingxuan replied: “My master didn’t know much about the details of the battle at Vulture Peak. She only mentioned it was a continuation of the ancient War of Investiture of the Gods, one of the battlefields for seizing the opportunity to attain Dao. They also said that Yuanshi Tianzun among the Three Pure Ones intervened, forcibly opening the source of time, cutting off the river of time for the Real World and all universes, directly extracting this period of history, transforming it into another Real World. Hence, this history was lost, only legends and above could have impressions and records. The specific details might only be found in that world.”
Meng Qi was startled into silence, hearing thunder where there was none. Was Bi Jingxuan describing the origin of the Investiture World?
Could Yuanshi Tianzun actually forcibly open the source of time, directly severing all rivers of time and extracting a segment of history?
This was beyond his imagination. Had Yuanshi Tianzun attained such a state? Was this what was referred to as the embryonic form of the Dao Fruit?
Shaken, Meng Qi followed A-nan with Bi Jingxuan and Shu Sheng to the peak of Jade Emperor Mountain.
Hearing Bi Jingxuan reveal such important information without hesitation, Meng Qi suddenly felt guilty and deliberately added: “The battle at Vulture Peak was full of oddities. Those who survived were not innocent, and even great cultivators suspected that the culprit behind the Vulture calamity was among them. Don’t trust A-nan lightly.”
“Thank you.” Bi Jingxuan turned her head to look at Meng Qi, her eyes sincere, her tone genuine.
This made Meng Qi feel ashamed. Accustomed to scheming and deceit, he felt inferior when meeting someone so straightforward and sincere.
“Namo Ben Shi Sakyamuni Buddha.” A-nan softly chanted the Buddha’s name, stepped forward, and entered the sea of clouds at the mountain peak. With each step downward, the white clouds parted, forming a suspended staircase.
Walking along the steps, Meng Qi and the others suddenly saw their surroundings brighten, noticing faint ripples and glimpses of collapsed halls emerging everywhere.
This was a ruin where nothing remained intact, yet the erosion of time seemed not to have touched it, and the expansion of their spiritual consciousness was also restricted.
After walking a few steps and passing several hill-like heaps of debris, the path suddenly opened up ahead, revealing a grand hall with only its gate remaining, standing in the center. Around it, it seemed as though water flowed, bringing a sense of lofty majesty, as if the Celestial Emperor had once stood here, battling some mighty transcendent beings.
At this moment, the gate was crimson red, and beneath it sat a figure, surrounded by the flow of time. He wore wide robes and had an attractive face, exuding a strange charm akin to that of gods and demons.
“The Demon Sage” Han Guang!
Meng Qi’s eyes narrowed, his heart surging with emotion.
He had truly come to Jade Emperor Mountain!
…
In Xuanyang, the false Meng Qi, dressed in a green robe, strolled leisurely along the street with his hands behind his back, feeling cheerful and relaxed.
Returning to the past had freed “him” from Yuan Hong’s control. Although his mind was still filled with the initial implanted thoughts, he had gained a bit of self-awareness and was no longer a mere white-haired clone and puppet.
“I must seize this brief opportunity to kill that Su Meng, and then find a way to return safely. After that, I will bear his karma and become the true him, no longer under Yuan Hong’s control.” He happily thought to himself.
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