Yue Ziqing nodded lightly and said, “Indeed. The Patriarch set up three trials in the sect’s secret grounds, each more difficult than the last. Only by passing them can one witness the various futures he deduced, serving as motivation for disciples to strive forward. However, through generations of inheritance, no one has succeeded to this day. The vast majority stop at the first trial, and only a handful have ever broken through the second—even among the current legendary elders, not all have passed the second trial.”
“What are these trials? May Su attempt them?” Meng Qi politely made his request.
Yue Ziqing’s pale red robes fluttered slightly as she stood up in one fluid motion.
“Certainly. Follow me into Zhixu Mountain.”
In her hand appeared an ancient bronze lamp, its flame as small as a bean, illuminating the cabin with warmth and serenity.
Within the flickering light, a deeply hidden connection seemed to emerge, reflecting an arcane and profound gate inscribed with the four seal-script characters: “Truth Unshakable.”
“The mountain gate is also known as the Gate of Truth,” Yue Ziqing said, her demeanor resembling a living statue of a celestial maiden as she flew toward the gate with an otherworldly aura.
Though the gate appeared close at hand, within the lamplight, she grew smaller and smaller, as if piercing through the barrier of the real world, crossing a distance beyond numerical measure.
Meng Qi stood frozen for a moment, failing to follow immediately.
She agreed just like that?
Without any conditions?
He had even prepared himself for negotiations, yet she made no demands at all—just agreed outright!
This wasn’t some trivial matter!
Could it be a trap?
Yue Ziqing’s reaction had completely defied Meng Qi’s expectations. His thoughts raced, deducing possibilities, until he ultimately chose to believe that the Six Masters of Heterodoxy truly secluded themselves to discuss the Dao, uninvolved in current affairs.
With a single step, his figure flickered, arriving before the Gate of Zhixu Mountain even faster than Yue Ziqing. Around him, time seemed to surge like a torrent, but the lamplight weakened it all to normalcy.
As Yue Ziqing arrived, she uttered a true incantation, manifesting three large seal-script characters that adhered to the Gate of Truth.
The gate swung open with a thunderous boom.
Passing through the thick, sludge-like mist, Meng Qi’s vision cleared, revealing an unprecedented bluish-gray divine mountain—a single peak embodying an entire world!
No sooner had Meng Qi followed Yue Ziqing to a mountaintop than the void ahead rippled, and a ten-foot-tall Yellow Turban Warrior emerged, clad in clanging iron armor, eyes crimson, with a golden halo behind its head.
Its aura was overwhelmingly powerful, as if it were a partial incarnation of Zhixu Mountain’s world. Its eyes shot out three-foot-long scarlet beams, scrutinizing Meng Qi as it spoke in a mechanical voice: “Who comes?”
Yue Ziqing produced a waist token and replied with detached elegance, “A guest I invited.”
The moment she finished speaking, the Yellow Turban Warrior turned illusory, merging into the world without further inquiry.
Sensing the residual aura of the warrior and recalling its golden halo, Meng Qi asked with puzzlement, “It resembles a Reward Body?”
Indeed, that Yellow Turban Warrior seemed akin to a Reward Body, bearing similarities to the Moonlight Bodhisattva and the Moon Jewel Bodhisattva—its oppressive might no weaker than that of a Legendary!
A single Yellow Turban Warrior in Zhixu Mountain rivaled a Legendary powerhouse?
This was utterly inconceivable! Even the true Jade Void Palace couldn’t achieve such a feat!
Yue Ziqing nodded. “A Reward Body-type Yellow Turban Warrior, crafted by Zhixu Mountain. It can manifest anywhere at will. Any intruder, regardless of origin, will be intercepted.”
“Reward Body-type Yellow Turban Warrior?” Even Meng Qi, who had created the Myriad World Knowledge Sphere and introduced cosmic battleships and golden saint armors—things defying common sense—was momentarily stunned. He recognized every word, understood the concepts individually, but their combination baffled him.
At the mention of this, Yue Ziqing’s eyes, previously lifeless behind her polite smile, suddenly blazed with light, making her seem more alive than doll-like:
“Simply put, a Reward Body is a cultivation method relying on the karmic retribution of heaven and earth to approach the Great Dao. The more synchronized one is with the Dao, the greater the divine powers. At the pinnacle, one becomes the Dao itself—indestructible across epochs, with endless lifespan. Of course, this also imposes limitations, binding one to the corresponding rules.”
“Thus, by deciphering these rules and reverse-engineering the Dao’s intricacies, we can directly craft objects with extreme synchronization—be it Yellow Turban Warriors, divine sparks, ancient lamps, or books. After generations of research, Zhixu Mountain has finally made breakthroughs. What you saw earlier is the latest model—a Reward Body Warrior fully synchronized with this world’s principles, capable of replacing them, acting on heaven’s behalf to guard the mountain and repel intruders. Gao Lan’s Fengtian Platform operates on similar principles, though through different means.”
Meng Qi listened in astonishment. Once he grasped the essence, he cut to the chase: “Can these Reward Body Warriors be used outside Zhixu Mountain?”
The light in Yue Ziqing’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Though Zhixu Mountain is akin to the real world, it was forged by our Patriarch. With such authority, our research faces no hindrances. But in the real world, synchronization remains suboptimal. Despite refinements, we’ve only managed to produce Heavenly Master-level Reward Body Warriors—unstable and impossible to mass-produce.”
“Still impressive…” Meng Qi remarked, his emotions complex.
Though Zhixu Mountain belonged to heterodoxy, it had forged a remarkable path. Even the Human Emperor’s lineage, preparing for tens of thousands of years, had only surpassed these warriors by a narrow margin with their Fengtian Platform.
Without further ado, Yue Ziqing waved a hand, summoning two faceless jade puppets from the rippling void.
The moment they appeared, Meng Qi let out a surprised sound. The Karma of All Effects stirred, sensing an obscure yet familiar aura.
These were marvels of karma!
Yue Ziqing pressed her right hand atop one puppet’s head. Instantly, Meng Qi “saw” her karma threads sever, drifting to adhere to the puppet—save for those tied to Zhixu Mountain. New threads formed between her and the puppet, maintaining equilibrium and preserving her radiant karma network.
Without this, Meng Qi would’ve witnessed Yue Ziqing perish as if struck by thousands of “Karma Strikes.”
“Karma Proxy Jade Puppets—masterpieces of our sect’s karma research,” Yue Ziqing explained. “Disciples on journeys may store external karmic ties within them upon return. This ensures no divination can trace the sect through wandering disciples, while the puppets’ chaotic nature safeguards Zhixu Mountain from disturbance.”
As for life-saving functions, those were mere byproducts.
As the current “Karma of All Effects,” Meng Qi savored the profundity and nodded. “Fascinating.”
Yue Ziqing’s eyes brightened again. “Would the Sect Leader like to try?”
“Gladly.” Confident in his safety, Meng Qi eagerly agreed, mimicking her gesture by placing his hand on a puppet’s head.
Starlit threads detached, adhering to the puppet as he pondered the changes.
Suddenly, the puppet emitted a blinding light, black smoke pouring from its seven orifices—before Yue Ziqing could react, it exploded into fragments!
Both stood dumbfounded.
Yue Ziqing’s usually expressionless face twitched, her gaze darting between the wreckage and Meng Qi, who was equally stunned. His first thought: How valuable was this puppet? Would he have to compensate?
After a long silence, Yue Ziqing regained composure, speaking more mechanically than the puppet: “My fault. The puppet couldn’t withstand the sheer volume of karma threads from the ‘Karma of All Effects’…”
Indeed, asking a karma puppet to bear the threads of the “Karma of All Effects” was suicide. Thus, not his fault—though he hadn’t restrained the threads’ quantity… Meng Qi nodded in agreement.
Eyeing the debris, he changed the subject: “Where to now, Miss Yue?”
Meet the current sect leader?
“Unnecessary. The leader and elders are embroiled in disputes over conflicting future derivations, too preoccupied for formalities. We’ll proceed directly to the secret grounds.”
This seemed too straightforward. Suspicion crept in: “Miss Yue, this matter inconveniences your sect. What do you require in return?”
He laid it bare.
Yue Ziqing shook her head. “What we desire, you’d never grant. Since it’s no major affair, there’s no need for terms. The trials stand—whether you pass depends solely on you.”
Her answer only deepened Meng Qi’s confusion. Zhixu Mountain’s ways were truly enigmatic—was this the style of the Six Masters of Heterodoxy?
What did they want? Why were they so certain he’d refuse—and why did they seem unbothered?
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