Layers of clouds piled up, the dark curtain pressing down heavily as if weighing on one’s heart, causing the pedestrians in Langya City to quicken their steps, fearing they might be caught in a downpour and drenched like drowned rats.
Inside the City God Temple, Gao Yun, who had been granted divine authority by the Human Emperor, stood atop the sacred altar, gazing upward, sensing a brewing aura of destruction.
A natural disaster? Or an enemy attack? His mind swirled with doubt and uncertainty.
As the City God, he possessed the divine ability to mobilize the power of this region to protect its inhabitants. Together with the Governor of Pengzhou and the Golden Badge Constable of the Six Gates, they formed the power triangle of Langya. Now, he hesitated whether to report the anomaly directly to Changle.
Unlike before, the influence of the aristocratic families scattered across the land had become subdued under the majesty of the Human Emperor. Though they still held deep sway in their hometowns, they could no longer contend with the imperial court.
Despite his hesitation, Gao Yun remained vigilant. A faint glow emerged from the ground, nearly imperceptible, expanding upward to form a protective membrane enveloping the entire Langya City and its surrounding towns. Ordinary natural disasters would find it impossible to breach.
At that moment, he distinctly felt the destructive aura concentrating, growing denser, seemingly targeting a specific location within the city—unlike a widespread assault.
Gao Yun frowned, muttering to himself:
“Is this a millennium-old tree demon undergoing divine transformation, facing heavenly punishment?”
This thought immediately reminded him of a recent event: Prince Zhao Heng of Jin had attained his Dharmakaya in Changle, ascending to the ranks of immortals. At that time, dark clouds had shrouded the city, torrential rain poured, and lightning flashed—a scene strikingly similar to the current one.
The Ruan Family!
Could it be someone from the Ruan Family attaining Dharmakaya?
Old Master Ruan? Or the Ruan Fairy?
Gao Yun suddenly understood, instinctively concluding it couldn’t be Old Master Ruan. Advanced in years, he had relied on life-extending elixirs to survive this long, long past the fervor needed to break free from mortal shackles. The Ruan Fairy, however, was born with a natural affinity for the qin, a renowned figure in the martial world over the past thirty years, currently ranked third on the Earthly Rankings and hailed as one of the most likely to transcend mortality.
Realizing this, Gao Yun couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Dharmakaya—free and unfettered immortals. Unlike himself, whose martial progress had been arduous, leading him to lose confidence and, with the convenience of his Gao lineage in Changle, turn to the divine path, becoming the City God of Langya.
His eyes held a trace of envy as he gazed across seven streets and nine districts, thirty-one landmarks, toward the ancestral home of the Ruan Family.
Meanwhile, in the distant Kunlun Mountains, within the Jade Void Palace, Meng Qi, who had been closely monitoring Langya’s developments, seemed to stand at an infinite height, peering down as if from an arm’s length away, observing Ruan Yushu’s ascension to immortality. The quiet chamber, with its shadowy figures, resembled the hidden presence of a celestial sovereign within chaos.
He was particularly wary of this event, as Ruan Yushu’s “Sundering Heaven and Earth Melody” and “Dragon-Turtle Longevity Score,” when merged in life and death, had produced peculiar phenomena, connecting to a strange and mysterious place possibly related to the ancient Emperor Fu. Her attainment of Dharmakaya might bring unforeseen complications.
And no complications could be allowed.
Meng Qi had already conducted covert investigations, activating the “Cause of All Effects” to scrutinize every suspicious or hidden karmic thread connected to Ruan Yushu. He confirmed she was neither a “fish” of some great power nor a “marker” of a significant figure. The karma brought by “Sundering Heaven and Earth Melody” and “Dragon-Turtle Longevity Score” was remarkably pure.
Where, then, could the problem lie? Half in thought, Meng Qi listened to the melodious qin notes piercing through the thunder, watching as celestial palaces and jade towers descended upon the Ruan residence amidst a shower of heavenly flowers, transforming it into a paradise on earth.
Boom!
A pure azure thunderbolt, gathering all the electric serpents in the sky, struck fiercely toward the Ruan ancestral home, dispelling the gloom brought by the dark clouds as raindrops the size of beans pattered down incessantly.
At that moment, a qin note rang out, as if descending from the highest heavens—clear, resonant, and exquisitely beautiful, summoning a chorus of birds.
Accompanying this note, a lifelike phoenix apparition materialized, exuding an aura of sacred inviolability, wreathed in colorless flames. It lunged at the azure thunderbolt, seizing it in its beak like a serpent.
With a flap of its wings, the phoenix soared into the heavens, dragging the thunderbolt with it until both vanished without a trace.
Gao Yun watched intently, utterly absorbed, his heart filled with awe. Was this the spectacle of transcending tribulation to become immortal? This was the Twelve Divine Tones of Langhuan.
Subsequently, heavenly punishments rained down one after another—silver, gold, purple, and every hue in between. The Twelve Divine Tones of Langhuan resounded continuously, each displaying its divine marvel to neutralize the thunderbolts. However, when the eighth pure violet thunderbolt struck, Gao Yun’s eyelids twitched violently, breaking into a cold sweat. The qin notes transformed into a bell, tolling in the sky, inducing a brief delay—yet failing to slow the lightning’s descent. Fortunately, the Phoenix Perching Qin and the Salvation Qin together shielded Ruan Yushu, barely withstanding the blow.
“Heavenly tribulations are truly terrifying…” he thought spontaneously. “So far, the thunder punishments align closely with Prince Jin’s tribulation recorded in Changle. It seems there will be no surprises.”
Though the Phoenix Perching Qin would be unusable for a time and the Salvation Qin, ill-suited for direct defense, had suffered damage, they were still divine artifacts, not hindering the Ruan Fairy’s continued use. Even without them, she could still employ her peerless Heart Qin technique.
Suddenly, Gao Yun shivered uncontrollably, as if an immense chill had swept over him. In his vision, the electric serpents dancing within the “dark curtain” vanished entirely, leaving behind utter blackness—lifeless, like the deepest, most eternal slumber of death.
In an instant, the blackness split, seeping with vibrant vitality—pure, transcendent life force. It swirled rapidly, forming a divine thunder resembling the Taiji diagram of yin and yang, interwoven and inseparable, its depths seemingly connected to a strange, elusive realm.
What kind of divine thunder was this? Gao Yun gaped, sensing a majesty far surpassing the combined might of the previous eight thunderbolts. Even as a bystander, he couldn’t help but tremble.
Yin-Yang Divine Thunder?
But it didn’t quite match…
Just then, he saw the edge of the cloud layer suddenly scatter in a gust of wind, revealing a pair of eyes—pitch-black, profound, utterly devoid of color, mirroring the darkness within the eerie divine thunder. Both resembled the deepest, most eternal slumber of death, with only a pinprick of vitality hidden at their core, maintaining a delicate balance.
Merely glimpsing these eyes, Gao Yun felt as if his soul had left his body, drawn into a vortex of darkness high above. His memories faded, turning him into cattle, then stone, experiencing cycle after cycle of reincarnation and death.
Just as he thought his soul would scatter, clarity returned. At the other end of the cloud layer, a translucent ancient glass lamp flickered to life, radiating an eternal, unchanging light that cast swirling patterns of black and white. A resplendent purple blade circled around it.
The light dispelled death, creating a brief equilibrium that slowed the descent of the eerie divine thunder.
“Immortal Venerable Yuanhuang?” Gao Yun muttered in astonishment—the purple lightning blade was unmistakable!
“Yama, the Emperor of the Underworld…” The glass lamp emitted Meng Qi’s voice, thunderous and indecipherable to ordinary ears.
This sudden interloper was none other than the slumbering Yama, who had projected a sliver of his power!
The complication stemmed from him?
The enigmatic Yama made no move to attack, instead transmitting a deep, resonant voice:
“I bear no ill will. I merely wish to leave a connection. If you distrust me, you may verify it through your own means.”
As he spoke, a faint, obscure karmic thread extended from those eyes toward the glass lamp, while an indistinct force slowed the thunder tribulation.
“A connection?” Meng Qi’s glass lamp, the “Cause of All Effects,” accepted the karmic thread without hesitation, placing it within the “flame” of the Dao Yi Seal to burn away impurities and scrutinize for hidden dangers.
“Indeed, a connection. If ‘Sundering Heaven and Earth Melody’ and ‘Dragon-Turtle Longevity Score’ are mastered before attaining Dharmakaya, merging life and death, they can link to the elusive ‘Origin of Life and Death.’ After surviving the heavenly tribulation, one may touch upon it. With further cultivation, a bond forms, allowing me to sense and enter the ‘Origin of Life and Death’ to pursue the supreme Dao,” Yama explained candidly, seemingly withholding nothing. “I have no intention of opposing you, hence my courtesy. Let us see if we can cooperate. You do not cultivate the mysteries of life and death; even if you enter the ‘Origin,’ it would scarcely affect me.”
“‘Origin of Life and Death’? The same ‘Origin’ True Martial Emperor leaped into?” Meng Qi was slightly taken aback.
Yama’s attitude no longer surprised him. Clearly, Yama wished to avoid drawing attention and inviting interference from powerful adversaries. Under these circumstances, unless Yama awoke prematurely, there was no way to bypass or overpower Meng Qi. Thus, this decision was a calculated one.
At this level of cultivation, emotions—be they sorrow, joy, anger, or grief—would never override reason.
Yama continued, “Indeed. The last to enter the ‘Origin of Life and Death’ was Emperor Fu.”
“No wonder the two immortal melodies left by Emperor Fu possess such marvels…” Meng Qi murmured in realization.
Yama added, “Mastering both melodies and merging life and death before attaining Dharmakaya requires a natural affinity for the qin. Thus, I drew Ruan Yushu into the cycle of reincarnation and bestowed upon her the ‘Dragon-Turtle Longevity Score.’ That is the entirety of the matter. The decision is yours to make.”
So Yama was indeed one of the “Lords of the Six Paths of Reincarnation”… Meng Qi confirmed his earlier suspicion but still couldn’t discern Yama’s true identity.
Heh, his willingness to cooperate likely stems from my apparent lack of ambition regarding the Heavenly Court and the underworld. But now, as I seek the secrets of the Other Shore and consider establishing a netherworld, this presents an opportunity…
Thoughts racing, Meng Qi finished examining the karmic thread, attaching the flame of the Dao Yi Glass Lamp to it before casting it into the eerie divine thunder.
Boom!
The thunderbolt, no longer delayed, struck down violently—a mere blink to mortals.
The qin notes lingered, first death, then life. Ruan Yushu conjured a phantom “Origin of Life and Death,” charging into the eerie divine thunder.
The two canceled each other out. Celestial music filled the air as moonlight bathed the Ruan residence, revealing the visage of a peerlessly beautiful immortal.
Seeing Meng Qi’s choice to cooperate, Yama’s eyes gradually faded, leaving behind a final message:
“In the matter of the Wang Family, I encountered Emperor Fu. His state was… highly unusual…”
Back in the Jade Void Palace, the glass lamp in Meng Qi’s eyes dimmed as he muttered in puzzlement:
“Emperor Fu isn’t dead?”
In Langya, the Ruan Family’s white-haired Old Master Ruan, sensing the immortal aura, finally exhaled in relief. His eyes grew misty, tears streaming down his aged face:
“At last, the day has come…”
“Good… truly good!”
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