After Gu Xiaosang entered seclusion, Meng Qi did not immediately leave the Qingwei Realm. Instead, he spent a considerable amount of time thoroughly exploring the ancient battlefield of the Other Shore. Unfortunately, as expected, he found no additional clues—only confirmation that the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and the Celestial Venerable Lingbao had once engaged in a great battle here after their disappearance.
Using the Primordial Unity Seal and the Dao Yi Seal, he resealed the area to prevent its destruction from affecting the outside world. Then, he departed the realm and returned to the Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain. There, he saw the Great Green Root squeezed to the side in the gatehouse while the Howling Heaven Dog sat proudly on a chair, paws dancing excitedly as it played a game, completely ignoring the Great Green Root’s heartbroken expression.
“Woof woof woof!” Sensing Meng Qi’s return, the Howling Heaven Dog greeted him cheerfully. Meanwhile, the Great Green Root lunged out of the gatehouse, voice trembling with tears, “Master, you—you must stand up for this lowly one!”
Truly, no one could tell if the person on the other end of the internet was a dog… Meng Qi silently quipped before casually summoning a gaming-focused Myriad World Talisman and tossing it to the Great Green Root. With an air of detachment, he said, “As the gatekeeper of the Jade Void Palace, you must rise from where you fell.”
Clutching the talisman, the Great Green Root’s color shifted from green to purple, then to black, and finally to a flushed green. It nodded solemnly and declared, “This lowly one understands!”
Filled with murderous intent and battle fervor, it turned and roared at the Howling Heaven Dog, “You mangy mutt! Come on, one-on-one, best of ten!”
Meng Qi didn’t stick around to watch. Instead, he facepalmed and silently mourned for the Great Green Root three times. With the reaction speed and mental control of a Legend, unless the Great Green Root had something of equivalent power, it was doomed to be crushed.
But seriously, how did even the Howling Heaven Dog—a proper divine beast—start slacking off after entering my Jade Void Palace?
Is the feng shui here bad, or is my personal charm just too overwhelming?
Returning to his meditation chamber and sitting on the cloud bed, Meng Qi calmed his mind and pondered his next steps:
“The highest layer of the Nine Heavens is out of reach for now, but I can’t just sit around waiting for Big Brother to unify humanity or for someone to seize part of the Heavenly Emperor’s authority. I need to make an effort—perhaps obtain the Investiture of the Gods from Lu Ya, or secretly manipulate events to help Han Guang establish a preliminary Heavenly Court, seize authority, and trigger resonance before pulling the rug out from under him. But this plan is risky, like walking on the edge of a cliff. One misstep could spell disaster, so it’s best treated as a backup option and approached with caution…”
“Tracking down the Green Emperor’s whereabouts could help me glimpse the future, but the Six Heretical Masters are elusive. Even Xiaosang doesn’t know their true locations. Moreover, the three I’m looking for are all skilled in divination and obscuring heavenly secrets. My current level of the Cause of All Effects likely can’t trace them. Hmm, I should ask Young Master Wang about this—he seems quite familiar with Zhixu Mountain…”
“Though Maitreya and the Bull Demon King suffered heavy losses, the Ancient Buddha Dipankara and the Demon Lord were forced to awaken prematurely. Even if they’re not at their peak, they’re still among the world’s top powerhouses. I must be wary of their schemes, especially regarding Senior Brother Qi. The Demon Lord won’t let things slide—he’ll surely have tricks up his sleeve…”
“Overall, the current situation has entered a relatively calm phase, giving humanity a period to focus on cultivation and breakthroughs…”
“With the Heavenly Altar half-complete and authority over the earth extended into myriad realms, Big Brother no longer needs to waste effort on ‘other selves.’ Barring unforeseen circumstances, his ascension to Legend is imminent. But given his past split personality—one side deeply emotional, the other cold and ruthless—could this affect his understanding of ‘I am who I am’? Or might it actually help him grasp it?”
“Master inherited the lineage of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, finally breaking through to attain a golden body. His future is boundless, but unless circumstances change, he’s unlikely to achieve Great Bodhisattva status, let alone Legend. On the other hand, his golden body incorporates aspects of a reward body. To progress further, he’ll need to vow to liberate souls, which could easily embroil him in conflicts…”
“Zhiwei will soon reach the Heavenly Immortal realm, with enough ‘other selves’ to qualify for Legend. But the hurdle of ‘I am who I am’ requires deep accumulation. For now, only Senior Lu and Senior Su, having merged in the ‘I am not I, you are not you’ state, might have gained insights. Hopefully, they’ll achieve Legend soon—especially Senior Su, who follows the orthodox path and has a good chance of breaking through quickly…”
“If I’m to meddle in Heavenly Court affairs, I must ensure Han Guang doesn’t attain Legend first. I’ll need to obstruct him at every turn…”
“Zhao Laowu had the potential for a Dharma Body years ago, but his breakthrough attempt failed. I wonder what went wrong… Little Glutton has accumulated enough and honed herself beyond others—she’ll surely attain a Dharma Body within the year. But having collected both of Fu Emperor’s qin scores, she’s now tied to that enigmatic figure from the late Primordial Era. I’ll need to keep an eye on her…”
As thoughts swirled, Meng Qi realized just how many messy, tangled tasks lay before him—most of them involving worrying about others and offering help.
“Tsk, I’ve always felt I had the makings of a neighborhood committee busybody—always meddling, loyal to a fault…” Meng Qi shamelessly praised himself while reviewing his thoughts.
He didn’t dismiss these emotions, recognizing them as genuine desires.
After carefully planning each task, Meng Qi turned to another question: Why were all major factions vying to control the Heavenly Court, rule the masses, and establish the Netherworld to perfect the Real World?
For those below the Other Shore, it was a necessity to walk their own paths—like Maitreya, who endured mockery and slander to fulfill his vow of creating a Pure Land on earth.
But what about the Other Shore figures? What was their true motive in competing to establish the Netherworld in ancient times?
This couldn’t be a simple power struggle—there had to be something deeper. But what?
Meng Qi racked his brain but found no answer. Without understanding the true goals of the Other Shore figures, how could he navigate the future, step off the board, and become a true player?
“Perhaps only by trying it myself can I grasp what they truly seek…” Meng Qi mused, forming an idea to construct his own hell. “And though the Netherworld was preempted by the Emperor of Fengdu, it’s not yet fully established. There’s still a chance…”
Suddenly, inspiration struck:
“Master cultivates the golden body of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Earlier, I worried he’d be drawn into conflicts by vowing to liberate hell’s tormented souls. But now, it seems I can lend him a hand!”
“This is dangerous—it’ll require meticulous planning…”
In the dim, dappled light of the meditation chamber, Meng Qi returned to reality and realized his most urgent task: Cultivate, cultivate, and cultivate—strive to project across myriad realms and reach the perfect state where ‘other self’ imprints naturally emerge with the birth of universes or the splitting of time fragments.
Before that, he took out the Myriad World Talisman and contacted Young Master Wang.
*Beep beep beep—* After a brief ring, Wang Siyuan’s sickly voice came through:
“Cough… Need help with something?”
This fortune-teller never misses a beat… Meng Qi inwardly grumbled before saying, “I encountered the ‘Heavenly Dao Monster.’”
“I was in Changle too,” Wang Siyuan replied with amusement, as if he’d long foreseen Gao Lan’s failure.
“What exactly is its origin?” Meng Qi pressed.
Wang Siyuan fell silent briefly before coughing violently. “If I knew its origin, why would I have buried my family’s past and resorted to such madness?”
“But I have two theories: First, it’s tied to the Daoist Venerable of the Primordial Era. Second, it’s the remnant of a deceased Other Shore figure who refuses to fade.”
*The Daoist Venerable—one of only two to attain the Dao Fruit… A deceased Other Shore figure clinging to existence…* Meng Qi nodded, filing away the theories before asking, “Can you locate disciples of Zhixu Mountain, the Fate Sect, or the No-Thought Sect?”
“If fate allows, I may know something. But they’re elusive,” Wang Siyuan said between coughs. “The Six Heretical Masters each carved out their own realms at chaos’ edge, akin to the old Demon Realm. They focus solely on their paths, wandering only to test and seek enlightenment, never interfering in worldly affairs. Cough… You could ask the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the former Sahā Pure Land—the Six Heretical Masters have deep ties to the Buddha and might have left traces there.”
*The former Sahā Pure Land’s Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Most were devoured by the Supreme True Buddha!* Meng Qi’s thoughts narrowed to two candidates: the Undying Demonic God and the Bodhisattva Manjushri…
After further discussion and arrangements, Meng Qi’s inner busybody surfaced: “What have you been up to lately?”
Wang Siyuan coughed, his tone tinged with madness: “You’ll find out next time we meet.”
The connection ended. Meng Qi’s lips twitched as he frowned. *What insane scheme is this lunatic plotting now?*
—
Zhao Heng jolted awake from his nightmare, moonlight streaming through the window, casting a cold, serene glow.
But he had no mind for the view. Breathing heavily, it took him a long moment to recover.
*That nightmare again!*
The nightmare of his failed breakthrough—of everything turning to ash!
He’d thought he could let go of his past ambitions, yet during his breakthrough attempt, suppressed regrets, emptiness, and contradictions surfaced, barring his progress.
Decades of ingrained aspirations weren’t so easily discarded. Back in the Divine Capital, when Meng Qi jokingly suggested swapping places—him as the prince, Zhao Heng as the wandering hero—he’d refused outright, not even humoring the idea. That spoke volumes.
Now, rebuilding his path was only slightly easier than mending a flawed foundation.
With mind and heart at odds, he remained stuck, plagued by nightmares.
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