At the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun, He Mu, who had just returned from his travels, stepped into the quiet chamber where Meng Qi was in seclusion, responding to the summons.
The room was bright and clean, with sunlight streaming in and the fragrance of flowers permeating the air. Yet the cloud-like meditation bed seemed isolated from the world, shrouded in mist and growing dimmer towards its depths. There, seated in profound stillness, was Meng Qi, clad in dark robes and a bamboo crown—lofty, supreme, and exuding an innate majesty.
“Your disciple pays respects to Master,” He Mu said with utmost reverence as he bowed.
Then, he heard his master’s voice as if it came from beyond the heavens, echoing through countless universes, vast yet ethereal:
“How was your journey this time?”
He Mu smiled. “Only by leaving the True World did I realize the vastness of the heavens and earth. There are worlds out there with such strange cultivation methods. Through comparison and verification, your disciple has benefited greatly.”
This time, with his master’s aid, he had used the Myriad Worlds Communication Sphere to enter other universes, broadening his horizons and seeking inspiration from foreign sources.
“Good,” Meng Qi said without further inquiry. The universes he had sent He Mu to were naturally those where he had left “Other-Self Imprints,” ensuring that corresponding projections could watch over him discreetly. In fact, Meng Qi’s grasp of the overall situation might even surpass He Mu’s.
After seeking guidance on the doubts accumulated during his travels, He Mu produced a jade slip:
“Master, this is the confirmed third batch of suspects. Since I happened to return, I didn’t pass it through Daqinggen.”
Even during his travels, He Mu had not neglected the task assigned by his master. Diligently, he had stirred debates within the Myriad Worlds Communication Sphere, identifying suspicious individuals to trace the whereabouts of the Thoughtless Sect, the Mountain of Ceasing Emptiness, or the Fate-Evil Sect.
The previous two lists had been carefully scrutinized and observed by Meng Qi, but all suspects were cleared—none were true disciples of the Six Heretical Masters.
Without any visible movement, the jade slip left He Mu’s hand, flew into the mist, and landed in Meng Qi’s palm.
Yet he did not examine it immediately. Instead, he smiled faintly and asked, “After debating for most of the year, what are your own thoughts on these ideologies?”
He Mu frowned, clearly troubled. After weighing his words, he said, “During this time, your disciple has assumed multiple personas, each advocating different ideologies. At first, they all seemed too extreme, too radical. But after days of debate, I realized that wasn’t the case—each had its own merits, strong persuasive power, and could explain many things to some extent, unraveling the mysteries of heaven and earth.”
“But while each has its own logic, they often contradict one another, irreconcilable as fire and water. This has left your disciple deeply confused. Which is right, which is wrong? Looking at one, it seems flawless; glancing at another, it also appears reasonable.”
Meng Qi chuckled. “It’s normal to feel lost. You haven’t yet truly determined your own path to understanding the world. Only by weathering this confusion can you break free from your cocoon and face the barrier between man and immortal.”
“Please enlighten me, Master,” He Mu said earnestly.
Meng Qi formed a hand seal and spoke slowly, “Have you heard of ‘the blind men and the elephant’?”
“Master, you mean these ideologies are like blind men describing the elephant—each grasping only a part, unable to encompass the whole. Thus, their views are both right and wrong,” He Mu said with dawning realization. “But many ideologies are irreconcilable, completely opposite—they don’t seem like different parts of a whole.”
Meng Qi nodded slightly. “Because after ‘touching the elephant,’ they don’t simply describe what they’ve perceived. Instead, they elaborate based on their accumulated knowledge, inevitably introducing errors. One must separate truth from falsehood.”
“More importantly, what you perceive as irreconcilable, contradictory, or illogical is limited by your current realm and past experiences. From a higher perspective, some contradictions can coexist—they might not even be contradictions. For example, right now, I am both in the Jade Void Palace and in Changle City—not as a clone or projection, but as my true self. From the perspective of those below the Legendary realm, isn’t this contradictory?”
“Many things your master once deemed contradictory or impossible appear entirely different when viewed from a higher vantage point.”
He Mu felt his head spin, as if his master were using the Heart Seal to befuddle him. Yet upon reflection, the words made profound sense. He could only say, “Master, please allow your disciple to return and ponder this carefully.”
Meng Qi waved his sleeve gently. “Go.”
After He Mu left, Meng Qi casually activated the jade slip, examining the strings of communication codes within.
Sparks of light flickered brilliantly as he traced and eliminated each one.
Suddenly, all the divine anomalies vanished, and the jade slip returned to its original state. With a hint of joy, he murmured to himself:
“Found it?”
One of the Myriad Worlds Communication Talismans was shrouded in deep mist. Even with his mastery over karma, he couldn’t fully discern its entirety. Yet he caught a trace of familiarity. Combined with the seemingly extreme views its owner had expressed, there was ample reason to believe this was someone from the Mountain of Ceasing Emptiness, one of the Six Heretical Masters.
“Could it be her?” Meng Qi pondered for a moment. Instead of directly descending through the communication talisman to investigate—which would be impolite and hinder future interactions—he flicked his finger, sending a wisp of illusory starlight along the connection.
—
A lavish ship sailed through the ocean depths. Inside an elegantly decorated cabin exuding tranquil serenity, a woman held a Myriad Worlds Communication Talisman, projecting a luminous screen as she engaged in a heated debate on a forum.
Suddenly, a line of text appeared on the screen:
“Do you want to know the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?”
Before she could react, the words twisted and reformed:
“Su Meng of the Jade Void wishes to meet a friend from the Mountain of Ceasing Emptiness.”
The woman fell silent for a few breaths before revealing a perfectly sculpted, polite smile.
“Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?”
Her voice materialized into shimmering golden characters, one after another, flying into the screen.
An instant later, the original text bulged and detached from the screen, swirling in midair before coalescing into the figure of a man in dark robes and a bamboo crown.
Meng Qi looked over and saw a familiar face—though her exquisite features and noble demeanor were secondary. What stood out most was her mechanical, lifeless aura.
This was none other than Yue Ziqing of the Mountain of Ceasing Emptiness.
Frankly, upon recognizing Yue Ziqing, Meng Qi nearly twitched his lips—not because he knew her, but out of sheer surprise.
In his memory, this senior disciple of the Mountain of Ceasing Emptiness had forsaken human emotions, transforming herself into a cold, mechanical construct. Yet according to He Mu’s intelligence, the owner of this communication code was vehement, excitable, and nearly obstinate in the Myriad Worlds Communication Sphere.
This stark contrast had made Meng Qi hesitate to confirm her identity earlier.
Now, it was undeniable—this was Yue Ziqing!
Meng Qi’s emotions were akin to witnessing a classically elegant beauty suddenly break into a public square dance, or a cold, noble maiden singing with wild abandon.
Truly, appearances could be deceiving…
“Miss Yue, it’s been many years. You’ve surpassed your former self.” The last time they met, Meng Qi’s cultivation had been shallow, unable to discern Yue Ziqing’s true depths. Now, his realm far surpassed hers, and without any special techniques, he could see she had reached the peak of Earth Immortal.
By this reckoning, during their encounter in Jiangdong, Yue Ziqing had at least been at the mid-level of the External Scenery realm.
Yue Ziqing maintained her impeccably polite smile and gestured. “I am far inferior to Sect Leader Su. Please, have a seat.”
She quietly closed the forum and deactivated the communication talisman.
Pretending not to have seen her “posts,” Meng Qi sat down casually and smiled. “Miss Yue, I’m not one for pleasantries, so I’ll be direct. I’ve come to request your sect’s divination of the future—preferably one that includes the deeds of the Green Emperor.”
A glimmer of light flickered deep in Yue Ziqing’s eyes. “Based on all currently available information, certain futures can be deduced. This is the doctrine of our Mountain of Ceasing Emptiness. However, in practice, results are often unsatisfactory. Many of our elders frequently argue fiercely over vastly divergent predictions. There are numerous versions involving the Green Emperor—which would you prefer?”
If it were the Legendary realm, even with the Mountain of Ceasing Emptiness’ unique methods, Meng Qi’s own Jade Void Divination and Master of Karma abilities wouldn’t be far behind—at best, theirs might offer a slight edge, but nothing decisive. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Did your sect’s founding patriarch leave behind his own divinations of the future?”
Yue Ziqing nodded. “Yes. Before entering slumber, the patriarch sealed them in the sect’s secret vault. Entry requires passing a trial. To this day, no one in our sect has succeeded.”
“A trial?” Meng Qi repeated thoughtfully.
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