Chapter 1077: Matters Concluded

In the ancient Five Emperors, Golden Sovereign had always maintained a low profile, leaving behind many legends, though most focused on peaches of immortality, Jade Pond, and female immortals. Some even mistakenly believed her to be the Heavenly Emperor’s wife, appearing to embody the motherly grace of the Three Realms while actually being his subordinate. It was only when Liu Shuyu identified Wu Sheng Laomu as the “Golden Mother of Jade Pond” that Meng Qi suddenly recalled that among the ancient Five Emperors, there had indeed been such a figure.

Even after she transformed into Wu Sheng Laomu and remained active during the eras of demonic chaos and human emperors, her recorded deeds throughout history were few, easily earning her the label of “low-key and mysterious.”

Now, beneath this “low-key and mysterious” mask, Golden Sovereign was undoubtedly a female emperor of profound cunning and long-term planning, having prepared for calamities and crossing the threshold to transcendence from a very early stage. In this regard, Gu Xiaosang truly shared her legacy, explaining why Laomu valued Xiaosang so highly as the Daoist signpost and physical vessel for her return.

Whether Zhen Yuanzi was a manifestation severed by Golden Sovereign or secretly pledged allegiance to her remains unclear, as Zhen Yuanzi himself was equally mysterious and low-key, with few knowing his origins. Meng Qi couldn’t be certain, but the one thing he could confirm was that the lineage of Wuzhuang Monastery was practically equivalent to that of the Jade Pond!

“Lu Ya must have somehow discovered this secret, yet because certain Transcendent figures were watching him, he couldn’t directly intervene. Therefore, he indirectly passed the hint through me—a person entangled in the karma of countless great beings—to the descendants of Wuzhuang Monastery?” Meng Qi mused thoughtfully.

Precisely because of his entanglement with so many powerful figures, an eerie balance had formed around him—none wished to be the first to act rashly or pry. Moreover, the oldest Transcendent, Yuanshi Tianzun, had an unknown whereabouts, possibly hiding behind Meng Qi himself. Handling matters through Meng Qi was thus the most secretive and prudent approach. Yuanshi Tianzun was the root of all karmic outcomes, while Golden Sovereign, having obtained the Infinite Seal within the Jade Void Palace, comprehended all her past and took the most crucial step toward transcendence. Meng Qi found it hard to believe that Yuanshi Tianzun didn’t know of Golden Sovereign’s connection to Wuzhuang Monastery. As for Lu Ya, Meng Qi felt no concern that Yuanshi Tianzun might learn of this.

By revealing this, was Lu Ya attempting to blackmail Golden Sovereign, or was it a show of hostility masking an alliance? Meng Qi speculated on Lu Ya’s intentions.

He had only taken precautions against the Transcendents discovering the secret, never anticipating that Meng Qi himself would uncover it. However, Meng Qi carried the ancient evil artifact, the “Bloody Peach,” which unexpectedly triggered a revelation, providing him with the foundation to discern Lu Ya’s true intentions.

Indeed, the Great Dao Tree and the eerie Bloody Peach had repeatedly helped Meng Qi achieve the unexpected and break deadlocks!

The Great Dao Tree came from Daozun, possibly part of Zhenwu’s scheme, but who had created the eerie Bloody Peach? It had originally hidden within—or even been gestated inside—the head of the longevity deity’s corpse in the Peach Garden. Yet, the Nine Heavens hadn’t been abandoned or inaccessible since its loss; Thunder God, Sun God Sovereign, and Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun Yang Jian had all entered, yet none discovered it. Only when Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang explored it together did they finally notice?

The more Meng Qi recalled, the more intriguing the matter seemed. Those old masters truly played their games with an air of detachment. No wonder Wang Dasenwu, a calculating freak, had once said that he would rather overturn the chessboard than play against them.

Xu Xuan, Ao Zhen, and others exchanged glances, bewildered. The peach soaked in Jade Pond water had transformed into a Ginseng Fruit!

This completely overturned their previous understanding, feeling like a collapse of fundamental truths!

Hehe, countless powerful beings were watching me. Even if they wouldn’t act rashly, with the current situation, wouldn’t they notice? Lu Ya’s hint had failed, perhaps even deepening his enmity with Golden Sovereign. Truly a cause for celebration! As for me, I’ve successfully completed my mission. Any subsequent events are unrelated to the task itself… Meng Qi chuckled inwardly, then solemnly declared, “The mysteries of Heaven and Earth are profound. The Peach and Ginseng Fruit are actually of the same origin, truly evoking awe.”

“Indeed,” Fu Hai Wang marveled, “they were both said to be divine roots of Heaven and Earth. Who would have thought they came from the same branch?”

Ao Zhen and Ao Qing, raised in the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea with its long history and complete heritage, actually knew more ancient lore than Meng Qi. Yet even they were stunned by this revelation. Heaven had the Peach Tree, Earth bore the Ginseng Fruit—both famous, the former even more so. Yet their relationship turned out to be like this?

Xu Xuan exhaled, storing the remaining Jade Pond water and the half-peach-half-Ginseng object, sighing, “So this was our ancestor’s hint. With the Jade Pond water, the Ginseng Tree’s recovery will surely accelerate.”

Concerning Golden Sovereign, and being in Wu Sheng Realm, Meng Qi dared not linger long and intended to leave. Yet suddenly, a thought struck him, and he paused to ask, “Junior Apprentice Xu, have you ever seen this woman?”

With a wave of his right hand, light condensed into a vivid painting: calm river waves, a small boat slowly approaching, a white-robed woman standing at the bow, serene and tranquil, lips against a Xiao flute, playing a sorrowful, lingering melody. Her beauty seemed otherworldly—none other than Gu Xiaosang.

Through the incident with the Peach and Ginseng Fruit, Meng Qi confirmed Wuzhuang Monastery’s deep ties to Golden Sovereign, not merely due to Wu Sheng Laomu’s salvific grace. Meng Qi believed that if Xiaosang had come to complete her reincarnation mission in the Journey to the West world, she would certainly use the power of Wu Sheng Heaven, perhaps even directing Xu Xuan and others.

Across the myriad worlds, Laomu’s followers were numerous, known by names other than Luo Sect. As a Holy Maiden and embodiment of faith, Xiaosang could access far greater assistance than others in completing her missions, not limited to the Real World. This was the terrifying power of truly top-tier forces.

At the sight of the painting, Xu Xuan blurted out, “Holy Maiden!”

Hmm? Ao Zhen and Ao Qing turned to him.

Xu Xuan explained, “She is Wu Sheng Laomu’s compassionate incarnation who once came to Wu Sheng Heaven, took a remaining Ginseng Fruit, and had us eliminate a squad of enemies.”

A squad of enemies? Were they Reincarnators? Meng Qi pondered, “Didn’t she return afterward?”

Xiaosang had no shortage of longevity. Why take the Ginseng Fruit?

“No,” Xu Xuan shook his head.

Meng Qi fell silent for a moment, then softly chanted the name of the Venerable Supreme Buddha, saying with compassion, “This humble monk takes his leave. Junior Apprentice, take care.”

As his words faded, his figure abruptly vanished, piercing through layers of spatial barriers, arriving in the Fengshen World!

“This…” Xu Xuan and Fu Hai Wang, both immortals, keenly sensed the abnormality in Meng Qi’s departure. This was practically legendary power!

Fu Hai Wang chuckled, “Brother Xu, you’ve got quite a remarkable senior apprentice uncle!”

Xu Xuan, both surprised and awed, said, “My senior uncle’s cultivation is unfathomably profound.”

“It seems my senior uncle became a monk out of love,” Ao Qing suddenly remarked, Ao Zhen nodding in agreement.

…

Upon entering the Fengshen World, Meng Qi immediately saw a vermilion gourd emerge, transforming into Lu Ya’s form. His expression remained calm, his gaze deep and inscrutable, neither smiling nor angry, making it hard to discern his reaction to the mission.

“Taoist Lord, I have delivered the jade box to the descendants of Wuzhuang Monastery,” Meng Qi succinctly reported.

Lu Ya showed no emotion, merely nodding, “This time, you’re rescuing Zhao Heng?”

“Yes,” Meng Qi affirmed.

Lu Ya said nothing further, producing the Fengshen Scroll. With a wave of his hand, Zhao Heng’s name glowed with golden light.

This time, Meng Qi did not leave immediately. His right hand gripped the hilt, and with a metallic ring, he unsheathed his long blade.

Zheng!

In the imperial palace of the Jin Dynasty’s capital.

Zhao Heng was absorbing the power of countless beings to refine his dharma-body when he suddenly opened his eyes, just in time to see a purple blade-light fly out from the Myriad Worlds Awareness Talisman, dazzling and majestic, slicing into the void, severing countless karmic threads.

Feeling refreshed and relaxed, Zhao Heng seized the opportunity to merge his dharma-body with his soul, stepping into the Semi-Transcendent realm.

Zheng!

Meng Qi resheathed his blade before Lu Ya, seemingly having done nothing.

“Good. Applying the root of all karmic outcomes to this extent—truly impressive,” Lu Ya raised his eyebrows, seemingly recalling some sorrowful past.

Meng Qi calmly replied, “Taoist Lord, any more tasks? I wish to erase other names and rescue some true souls.”

Lu Ya chuckled, “Not for now. This isn’t me targeting you; I genuinely intend to cultivate my mind and body for a while. Besides, most of those in the Immortal Traces still rely on reincarnation’s trials. Without breaking free, they still have a chance at becoming Dharma Bodies. Take the Ice Fairy, for example—only through life-and-death trials can she elevate her emotions, being emotional without being burdened, thus achieving the Dharma Body. If they lose this opportunity, they’ll never take that step. As for the true souls on the scroll, are you ready to reconstruct their bodies? Myriad calamities make it hard for Yin spirits to attain sanctity. Releasing them unprepared will only lead to their complete downfall, eternal damnation, or even instant annihilation.”

“Taoist Lord speaks wisely,” Meng Qi had to concede.

Lu Ya smiled, saying, “Rest assured, to put it bluntly, you’re such a useful piece, how could I possibly discard you? No matter how much resentment I may have, it pales in comparison to mutual benefit. We’ll definitely have more opportunities to cooperate in the future. You’d better prepare well.”

As his words faded, his body disintegrated, returning to the vermilion gourd, which lightly leapt away, beyond Meng Qi’s grasp.

Preparing well… yes. I’ll spend the time to open all my acupoints, reach the peak of Earth Immortal, then return to the Jade Void Palace! Meng Qi had his next plan.

Golden Sovereign attained enlightenment at the Jade Void Palace, taking the Infinite and Void Seals, undoubtedly knowing some laws and forbidden techniques. Perhaps Xiaosang could thus enter certain areas of the Jade Void Palace; the Chaos Qing Lotus Seed was a possession of Taiyi Zhenren, possibly granted by Yuanshi Tianzun; and the Jade Void Palace could shield against Transcendent observation… these three factors together made Meng Qi suspect that Xiaosang had left contingencies within the Jade Void Palace. Thus, after strengthening his power, he planned to return there.

…

Inside the imperial palace of the capital.

Zhao Heng stabilized his realm, smiling as he picked up the Myriad Worlds Awareness Talisman, communicating with Meng Qi and expressing gratitude before setting down the metal talisman, walking out of his sleeping quarters into a hidden sanctum, activating its forbidden techniques.

Inside the hall stood a figure, his sleeves billowing, exuding unrestrained elegance—none other than the “Demon Sage” Han Guang. He stood with his back to them, gazing at the stars, smiling as he finally spoke, “The Myriad Worlds Awareness Talisman is indeed miraculous and extremely valuable. But holding it is like letting Su Meng place a blade at your throat, leaving you vulnerable to sudden attacks or surveillance at any moment. You must isolate yourself as much as possible from it, only approaching when you need to use it.”

“Indeed,” Zhao Heng did not deny it.

Even if one fully trusted Xiao Meng, one couldn’t afford to be careless. He believed others like Lu Da Xiansheng felt similarly.

Han Guang turned around, his aura even more ethereal and majestic, “Have you decided?”

“I have. I will submit to the Human Emperor, and the Jin Dynasty will join the Northern Zhou,” Zhao Heng’s voice was unusually steady.

Han Guang smiled slightly, “Good. The bearing of an emperor.”