The Taoist blocked the entrance, while the vast marsh saw nothing emerging from its surface. For a moment, tranquility reigned, but the King of Inspiration was furious, his Three Corporeal Spirits nearly bursting with rage. He grabbed the heavy golden hammer beside him with both hands and roared, “Hey you, cow-nosed Taoist! Stretch out your neck and let this King strike you three times!”
The voice shook like a tide. Suddenly, the high sky above the marsh turned dark, forming numerous whirlpools like chaotic voids. Deep within these whirlpools lay countless illusory shadows, as if connecting to other universes.
With a roaring splash, each whirlpool spewed forth towering waves, both illusory and real, transforming the three thousand miles above the marsh into a world of shimmering floodwaters.
Here, the nature of metal was heavy, earth dissipated, wood could not grow, and fire could not ignite. Except for the power and rules of water, everything else seemed weak, even incapable of survival.
This was the reflection of the King of Inspiration’s inner world. Within this specific range, every word spoken manifested its law image. If the heavens were not in harmony, he would reshape them to achieve alignment!
Indeed, he had approached the realm of legends… Although Meng Qi hovered midair, the surging waters surrounded him, stirring his bloodline and attempting to transform him into a pool of pus and blood, merging him into the water world.
Inspiration truly lived up to being a demon king of renown from the Journey to the West!
Watching the golden-scaled fish demon, clad in armor, wielding a massive hammer, and roaring as it charged out of the Crystal Palace toward him, Meng Qi felt a sudden surge of emotion.
When he first entered this world, he had been relentlessly pursued by a minor demon like Batur, with no escape, enduring endless hardship before barely managing to slay it. Now, he could face Inspiration, a demon king of the Journey to the West, head-on without the slightest fear. Truly, the seas could turn into fields and the world could change, making one marvel at the power of time and the wonder of fate.
Then, he extended his right hand and firmly grasped the long, ancient hilt of his blade, Jue Dao.
The King of Inspiration wielded a golden hammer in each hand, his inner world transforming as the external floodwaters surged accordingly, isolating and suppressing other laws.
Even with the cultivation of a Celestial Immortal, unless one approached the realm of legends, once entering his flood world, survival and escape might prove impossible!
Who was this cow-nosed Taoist? Some obscure cultivator from a remote mountain, daring to block the King’s door?
Truly, he knew not what was good for him!
“Water alone reigns supreme! I alone reign supreme!” It roared, swinging its hammers with a terrifying momentum capable of crushing stars, while the floodwaters transformed into water ribbons, binding Meng Qi and preventing him from drawing upon any external power.
At that moment, the King of Inspiration’s vision blurred, and Meng Qi vanished from sight, having mysteriously disappeared from the flood world.
Reacting instantly, following the shifting energy, the King of Inspiration abruptly looked upward through the rushing waters toward the distant sky ten thousand miles high. There, ethereal flames rose, forming a purple realm that seemed omnipresent, reminiscent of the ancient immortal world. Above this purple realm, another chaotic layer of red, cyan, yellow, and white emerged, equally omnipresent and reminiscent of the ancient heavenly court.
Above these two layers of “immortal world,” a young Taoist dressed in flowing water-blue robes held his blade in one hand and stood with the other behind his back, gazing down at the King.
He, too, had approached the realm of legends? The King of Inspiration was startled.
No, if both were Celestial Immortals nearing the legendary realm, why was the King’s reflected world normal, while the young man’s two layers of heaven seemed like the immortal world?
Meng Qi’s eyes were dark and deep. Slowly yet swiftly, he raised his right hand, his voice calm, like that of a celestial being delivering divine punishment:
“The heart’s orifice belongs to fire, secretly storing spirit and mind. This is my heart-formed ‘Yuanxin Heaven.'”
“The liver generates wind, the spleen nourishes earth, the kidneys store water, and the heart contains fire, each manifesting the states of stirring, growing, destroying, and concealing. The Four Symbols can give rise to the Primordial Heaven!”
“You indulge in blood sacrifices, devouring innocent children, bearing grave sins. Today, I, the Taoist, shall act on Heaven’s behalf to punish you!”
The words echoed instantly, enraging the King of Inspiration. Yet at that moment, a sharp crack rang out as Jue Dao struck, a purple lightning bolt blazing down.
Protected by the two layers of immortal world, the flood realm could not repel this lightning strike. It divided repeatedly, branching like tree limbs, following the water’s nature, and in an instant, struck the King of Inspiration’s head, coiling around his body.
One slash transformed into five thunderbolts striking the heavens, another swept across the sacred mountain, forming its own formation!
The King of Inspiration snorted coldly. The two golden hammers danced as if weightless, while the surrounding floodwaters turned transparent, forming a pure water membrane.
Boom!
The lightning failed to pierce the membrane, and Jue Dao was blocked by the hammers. The flood world trembled incessantly, shaking the waters below and leaving the aquatic beings dizzy and in agony.
If the residual force had not been absorbed by the reflected cave heaven, that single strike would have reduced all aquatic creatures to dust.
“Good!” Meng Qi raised Jue Dao again, slashing downward. Each acupoint within his body collapsed into the immortal world, forming a chaotic, profound celebration cloud. Above this celebration cloud floated an ancient, boundless banner.
The Pangu Banner swayed, and Jue Dao flashed silently, cleaving through the flood world.
Creation itself was split open, nothing could withstand it. Meng Qi held back not a single bit!
In the past, when he read the Journey to the West, he had always been dissatisfied with the redemption of wicked demon kings simply because they were mounts or pets of immortals or Bodhisattvas, returning to their former positions without paying a commensurate price for their sins. Especially the King of Inspiration, who had harmed countless innocent children, truly deserving of death and annihilation. Yet, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, though clearly capable of defeating him, had to stage a charade out of deference to the Bodhisattva Guanyin.
Now, meeting again, the King of Inspiration had not changed his evil ways. Could he, who claimed to possess righteousness and loyalty, possibly let him go lightly?
If Heaven does not punish, I shall! If the Bodhisattva does not chastise, I shall!
Because of this, upon hearing the King of Inspiration’s refusal to meet him, Meng Qi hesitated not a moment and directly blocked the entrance to the Great Marsh, ready for battle.
The blade flashed and arrived in an instant. The King of Inspiration, who had been about to attack, was startled, sensing the deadly aura capable of cleaving him in two.
Without hesitation, the King of Inspiration stirred the waters around him, and his body suddenly split—one becoming two, two becoming four—until a row of fish demon clones stood before Meng Qi.
The blade passed through, and the King’s original form shattered like a dream, the other illusions vanishing as well, leaving only the true body in a corner.
This was no illusion. It was a legendary projection technique combined with the reflective properties of water, effective only for those approaching the legendary realm with cave-heaven-like external manifestations.
“Waaah! Take this hammer of mine!” Nearly cut in two, the King of Inspiration roared again. The flood world suddenly receded upward, leaving only the chaotic whirlpools. Each whirlpool’s depths transformed into monstrous forms resembling the King, then into shimmering stars.
The stars flew from the whirlpools, linking together, their vast and mighty stellar energy suddenly descending. The flood world violently trembled, and many weak aquatic beings floated lifelessly to the surface of the Great Marsh.
Rushing torrents! The two golden hammers transformed into two leading stars, shining brilliantly and converging into a river of radiant stars, surging upward, attempting to swallow Yuanxin Heaven and the Four Symbols Heaven.
Rushing torrents! Dark clouds gathered over the southeastern border of the Jambudvipa continent, and torrential rains poured down, as if a world-ending flood was imminent.
Rushing torrents! Water levels surged, submerging the lower parts of many mountains.
The Celestial River surged forth, the hammers heavy. Suddenly, darkness appeared before the King of Inspiration, revealing the young Taoist behind several universes, each with figures bearing the aura of creation. Some pressed downward with their right hands, others shot beams of light from their eyes, all connecting with the chaotic celebration cloud above the Taoist’s head. Then they drifted forward, swallowing the starry river.
All the weight, all the floodwaters, vanished simultaneously.
Such a supernatural ability? Startled, the King of Inspiration gathered his spirit, swung his hammers, and engaged Meng Qi in fierce combat.
But the more he fought, the more alarmed he became. He had given his all, yet could only match Meng Qi evenly, while the latter still seemed to have reserves of strength!
How could there be such a monster below the legendary realm?
Gradually, the King considered retreating. He feigned an attack, causing the flood world to collapse suddenly to block the enemy, then dove into the Great Marsh, planning to rely on the forbidden techniques he had prepared for years to resist.
That would be foolproof!
Approaching the Great Marsh, the water rippling, suddenly the scene before the King of Inspiration changed. It was pitch black, vast and boundless, with distant stars flickering.
Had he flown into the starry sky?
At that moment, he saw an ancient, towering divine figure, with the Primordial Celebration Cloud above its head, the chaotic Four Symbols beneath its feet, golden lotuses swirling around it, and six arms each holding ancient seals, blades, and other objects. It loomed over him like the largest star, making him feel like a speck of dust.
Up became down, left became right—he had inverted directions, so his escape into the Crystal Palace had instead become a flight into the sky? Just as the King of Inspiration realized this, he saw a handsome monk appear beside him, holding a sword and smiling, chanting a Buddhist name:
“Namo Venerable Holy Buddha, this monk has come to assist you!”
At the same time, a swordsman gracefully approached from the right across the starry sky, speaking coldly: “Fellow Daoist, I come to aid you!”
Behind him emerged a colossal figure, filling the starry river, seizing stars and moons as if they were mere toys. His voice was mighty, shaking the Milky Way:
“Fellow Daoist, I come to aid you!”
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