Creak! A sharp, grating sound accompanied Wang Siyuan’s words, emerging from the ancient bronze coffin. It was even more hair-raising than the sound of fingernails scraping across a blackboard that Meng Qi had heard before, causing his scalp to tingle, his teeth to ache, and his whole body to feel uneasy, as if someone were clawing at his very heart.
That was just to help you adapt… Meng Qi focused his gaze on the coffin of “the Founding Ancestor of the Wang Clan,” sensing its slight tremors. However, its power was dispersed by nine purplish-black chains, redirected deep into the earth, causing the entire cave heaven to seemingly tremble.
Did this mean such events occurred repeatedly, day after day, for countless eons?
Had Wang’s ancestors truly encountered something terrifying before death, transforming into horrifying monsters?
And for an individual at least at the legendary level to end up in such a state, the scale of the event must have been on the level of “the Other Shore,” right?
His thoughts cleared, and his heart settled once again as Meng Qi took the opportunity to ask, “What exactly is buried inside?”
Wang Siyuan coughed twice, spitting out a mouthful of blood—not bright red, but purplish-black. It fell to the ground, staining the area, a shocking sight that strangely fit the current scene.
“Every ancestor of the Wang Clan who achieved the Dharmakaya and peacefully passed away would emit a scream similar to this before death. Seven days after their demise, they would rise again, becoming monsters who claimed to be ‘the Heavenly Dao.'” After expelling the tainted blood, Wang Siyuan seemed to speak more smoothly. “The only fortunate aspect is that the first ancestor to pass away was not the clan’s founder. With prior experience, he made full preparations. If he failed to resist, he would be sealed within the Taiyi Soul-Sealing Coffin, bound by nine Primordial Earth Chains that harnessed the entire cave heaven’s power to suppress him.”
A monster claiming to be the “Heavenly Dao”? Meng Qi inhaled deeply. This was the first time he had heard of such a thing. Who could truly distinguish between the Great Dao and the Heavenly Dao, except for the two transcendent beings who had attained the Dao Fruit?
Moreover, this monster was clearly no good. Although Wang Siyuan did not mention the damage or losses it caused, the fact that the Wang Clan’s founding ancestor chose to seal his own remains was telling enough.
Was this the consequence of being counterattacked by the “Heavenly Dao”—transforming into a monster calling itself “Heavenly Dao”? At first, Meng Qi found it amusing, but soon he felt an inexplicable sense of horror and strangeness.
His gaze instinctively swept toward the ancient, unadorned bronze coffin as he sighed inwardly. If even a legendary figure could not resist or escape this fate, what hope was there?
This Taiyi Soul-Sealing Coffin and the nine Primordial Earth Chains could imprison a legendary figure transformed into a “Heavenly Dao” monster. Even with the entire cave heaven’s power, their own strength must have approached the peerless level. They were likely crafted from remnants left over after the destruction of the Primordial Epoch.
Did everything connected to the Primordial Epoch carry such an air of the unknown, the mysterious, the sinister, and the terrifying? Meng Qi mused inwardly. Indeed, the unknown was the most frightening. Although many great changes occurred in antiquity, often hidden from the public and shrouded in secrecy, making them terrifying, compared to the long-gone Primordial Epochs, they seemed almost normal. Information related to those ancient eras was exceedingly rare, making it nearly impossible to form even the simplest historical picture.
For example, Meng Qi currently knew very little about the Primordial Epochs: The Three Pure Ones were the oldest beings of the Other Shore, existing since the earliest Primordial Epoch, especially the Jade Purity Venerable, who existed even before the concept of “existence” itself. Emperors like the Demon Sovereign, Amitabha Buddha, and Bodhi Ancient Buddha attained transcendence during the Primordial Epochs, though the exact epochs were unknown. They survived into antiquity and likely still existed today. Figures like the Sage Demon, the True Martial Deity, and other mighty beings experienced many epochs, some attaining transcendence in antiquity, others vanishing without a trace. The Demon Emperor perished in the hands of the Dao Venerable during the Primordial Epoch. The Golden Tortoise Island contained a fragment of the Primordial Epoch…
The Fuxuang Emperor, suspected to be an entity from the Other Shore, was active from the last Primordial Epoch to the early ancient times before disappearing—whether through death or retreat remains unknown. In some obscure Primordial Epoch, there was also a Human Emperor whose ancient tomb was guarded by the Demon Emperor through figures such as Su Daji. Whether this emperor was Fuxuang, Meng Qi dared neither to confirm nor deny.
The Heavenly Supreme Emperor and Dong Huang Taiyi fiercely competed for dominance over the Nine Heavens during the Primordial Epoch. The latter lost and perished, his Dong Huang Bell shattered, and he was buried when the last Primordial Epoch collapsed. Only fragments of the Heaven Mirror and his son, Lu Ya, remained to testify to the existence of an emperor who once dominated the Three Realms. The Snow Mountain Sect’s nine immortal patriarch tombs suppressed a monster that drove people mad, screaming the names “Taiyi” or “Taishang.” Based on the atmosphere, Meng Qi preliminarily judged it to be “Taiyi”…
Time changes everything; even a thousand years can erase many things, let alone an era that had endured countless eons and seen the destruction of many epochs. That any information remained was solely due to the extraordinary vitality of certain mighty beings and artifacts!
Thinking about the Primordial Epochs, Meng Qi instantly recalled the “demonic blood peach” within him. This item was said to be a relic from the Primordial Epoch, bearing a certain similarity in “aura” to the “Heavenly Dao” monster sealed within the bronze coffin. It was likely indeed a “Primordial Epoch artifact.”
He suddenly wondered what would happen if he took out the Xiao Taotie and placed it on the Taiyi Soul-Sealing Coffin. It took him quite a while to suppress this impulse. If the change was beneficial, that would be fine. But if it freed the “Heavenly Dao” monster transformed from a legendary figure or caused the demonic blood peach to go berserk, even if he summoned the “Tree of the Great Dao,” it might not be enough to suppress them.
Therefore, he shouldn’t recklessly interfere within someone else’s ancestral shrine—at least not while the demonic blood peach showed no reaction…
In an instant, Meng Qi’s mind raced through countless thoughts, while Wang Siyuan coughed again, his voice echoing across the desolate mountain of graves filled only with coffins and corpses, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
“Guided by the experience of the founding ancestor, every Wang ancestor who attained the Dharmakaya would seal themselves or request others to seal them before peacefully passing away. Without exception, they all transformed into ‘Heavenly Dao’ monsters, except for the Shusheng Patriarch, who perished in the A-nan Pure Land due to karmic entanglement, leaving no trace of existence, reduced to ashes. Only then did he avoid becoming a monster.” Wang Siyuan coughed again, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, as he chuckled lightly. “Fortunately, A-nan’s cultivation was still incomplete at that time, having immersed himself in karmic entanglement for an unknown duration. He could choose the easiest karmic burden from the main threads. Otherwise, I would really like to see what would happen if he had taken on this ‘Heavenly Dao’ karma.”
Compared to what he had seen earlier, Wang Siyuan now spoke much more fluently—not because his condition had improved or he had previously feigned illness, but because his eyes and body now burned with a flame called “madness,” supporting his frail, weakened body. His words were spoken with the certainty of someone who had witnessed it firsthand, and indeed, they aligned with logical deductions.
So that’s why I wasn’t involved… Meng Qi muttered inwardly. Only today did he finally resolve a lingering question.
If he, before attaining the Dharmakaya, could choose the second karmic burden, how could A-nan, facing Shusheng, possibly fail to do the same?
Even considering the “Root of All Karmas,” A-nan was no pushover. The Buddhist sect was also adept in karmic principles; the Tathagata Palm contained similar techniques, albeit inferior to the “Root of All Karmas.” Yet his cultivation level was much higher than Meng Qi’s, and his understanding and mastery of karmic entanglement were far superior. His ability to choose should have been significantly stronger than Meng Qi’s. So why had he directly accepted the karmic burden of protecting the Wang Clan?
Now it seemed clear—A-nan had no choice. The other karmic burdens would have been enough to kill a legendary figure. Additionally, this allowed him to plant the Wang Clan as a pawn, gaining another subordinate faction. Why wouldn’t he do it?
“Never would I have imagined that the illustrious Wang Clan, renowned for countless eons, was far from as glorious as it appeared on the surface,” Meng Qi sighed.
Wang Siyuan did not mention the characteristics or dangers of the “Heavenly Dao” monsters, nor did he elaborate on specific incidents. Meng Qi, understanding the situation, did not ask further—it would have been pointless. The mystic would only speak in ambiguous terms meant to mislead.
Wang Siyuan took a deep breath and pointed again at the “Ghost and God Spirit Diagram”: “This sudden return, with its essence already elevated, means all the spirits inside are gone. Do you know what this signifies?”
Without waiting for Meng Qi’s answer, he continued on his own: “The final calamity is approaching, and the Wang Clan must contribute its share.”
The words “contribute its share” were spoken in an unusually low tone, as if speaking too loudly might provoke an endless massacre.
Indeed, with the final calamity approaching, all manner of monsters and demons were emerging… Meng Qi once again felt the true meaning of the “final calamity”: “The game has just begun, and the true big players have yet to appear. Those who jump in early will only become targets. The best course is to ignore them and prepare diligently. Can He descend directly?”
For some reason, Meng Qi felt that Wang Siyuan was hinting that the “Heavenly Dao” monster and the “Ghost and God Spirit Diagram” were two separate matters.
Wang Siyuan turned around, gazing down at the entire mountain of graves from the mountaintop: “In our pursuit of divination techniques, the Wang Clan records every event and change we have witnessed, seeking precise predictions.”
“Do you know how many times the great river has changed course? Seventy-nine times. Although cultivators can alter terrain and prevent such changes, from antiquity onward, due to great calamities, battles between masters, and natural anomalies, the great river has still changed course seventy-nine times. The ancient Huan Prefecture was once an inland sea, now known as the premier province of the southwest. The nearby Ningping Prefecture was once merely a riverbed. Due to the river’s course change, sediment built up, gradually eroding to form a prefectural seat.”
“Do you know how many aristocratic families the Wang Clan has witnessed rise and fall? A family can be a powerful house for a century, a noble clan for a millennium, but since the founding of our clan, two hundred and seventy-five millennia have passed.”
His eyes grew brighter, his tone smoother, as he spoke these seemingly mundane words with a detached yet not condescending attitude, exuding an overwhelming sense of the passage of time, as if the Heavenly Emperor himself were silently watching the flow of mortal years.
“Do you know how many divine weapons the Wang Clan has collected over the years? They are all buried here, serving as both offerings and suppressors, far more numerous than those competing in the current world.”
Do you know? Do you know? Do you know? If it weren’t for the fact that you’re about to ‘attain ghost-body,’ I would have… Meng Qi smiled wryly, clenching his fist in self-mockery. Here was Master Wang, the divine charlatan, showing off again… But this was the real deal—the sight of watching their rise and their fall, while I remain unchanged, unaffected by the shifting tides of time…
Suddenly, Wang Siyuan sighed: “I’m not boasting. I’m telling you, cough, with such a foundation and heritage, the Wang Clan easily develops an aloof, superior attitude toward all other clans and sects. Yet every time such a tendency arises, it is dispelled by the echoing screams, the sorrow of those who died young, and the grating sound of claws scraping against coffin lids.”
“Underneath countless glories lie corresponding pains and tribulations.”
“Are you telling me this in hopes of finding a way to escape this fate?” Meng Qi asked seriously.
Wang Siyuan’s face was pale, his cheeks flushed with illness, his eyes burning like flames as he smiled faintly: “I am a madman. Since I can no longer see a path to survival, I will use my death to ignite a fire, to go mad, to see what changes might arise.”
Indeed, this was the true meaning of “calculating the fate of all beings”! Meng Qi silently watched Wang Siyuan, waiting for him to continue.
“If you hadn’t come to find me, I would have sent someone to seek you out, to ask a favor,” Wang Siyuan said calmly.
Meng Qi nodded: “What favor?”
Wang Siyuan’s eyes burned even brighter with madness, his white-robed body swaying precariously: “Seven days from now, at the third watch of the night, come to this ancestral hall and strike me with a single ‘Karmic Slash’!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage