Chapter 1218: Soul Lamp

There were no other jade slip fragments left in these ruins. Meng Qi withdrew his divine sense, his mood heavy and thoughts tumultuous:

“It seems the changes were caused by the founding ancestor of Zhixu Mountain studying the imprints left by fallen Nirvana beings…”

“Was it a great figure who saw his research succeed and was about to ascend to Nirvana, choosing to strike and erase him? Or did one of those imprints contain a terrifying secret that rebelled upon contact?”

If it were the former, it could only be said that the will of heaven is inscrutable, and the thoughts of Nirvana figures are truly beyond comprehension. The Six Masters of External Paths each had their own paths, focusing solely on their own research, never meddling in worldly affairs. Such a figure, even after crossing the bitter sea and entering Nirvana, would not affect the schemes and struggles of other great figures. There would be no need to stop or erase him. If it were the latter, Meng Qi shuddered at the thought, for the secrets contained in the imprints left by fallen Nirvana beings always invited wild speculation.

Was it a supreme secret capable of causing a Nirvana being to fall? Or was there one among those great figures who had died hundreds of thousands of years or even several epochs ago who had not truly perished? Had they deceived heaven and earth, feigning death to hide in the shadows, watching the world and waiting for an opportunity no one could foresee?

After a long silence, Meng Qi’s gaze returned to normal, as if he had never seen the scene before him or read the fragmented jade slip. With a wave of his left hand, his sleeve billowed out, reshaping heaven and earth, gathering everything in the ruins into it, preserving their original positions and forms.

Encountering such a matter, it was only right to explain it to Zhixu Mountain to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. With the “River of Fate” encircling this place, they would be unable to enter. Either he would have to bring people in himself or move the entire scene out.

To avoid the hassle of going back and forth, Meng Qi chose the latter, especially since each crossing of the River of Fate left him feeling as if he had reached his limit.

As for the purpose of this trip—the various future possibilities he had hoped to obtain—it seemed to have failed through no fault of his own.

Repeating his earlier method, he crossed the long river again. Before he could approach the “Wall of Halting Steps,” he saw Yue Ziqing, the middle-aged scholar, and the black-robed old woman.

Watching Meng Qi emerge from the “River of Fate,” their eyes widened, as if lit by one blazing sun after another, shining extraordinarily bright. The middle-aged scholar asked excitedly, “Sect Leader Su, how did you cross the ‘River of Fate’?”

No other questions seemed to matter to him or the others.

“May I ask who you are?” Meng Qi smiled faintly.

Only then did the middle-aged scholar realize he had yet to introduce himself. Flustered, he said, “I am Mo Fei, the current sect leader of Zhixu Mountain. This is our Grand Elder Huang Yao… May I ask how Sect Leader Su crossed the ‘River of Fate’?”

He persisted in his questioning, while the black-robed old woman Huang Yao and Yue Ziqing stared intently at Meng Qi, awaiting an answer. They did not expect a detailed explanation revealing his methods, only a general direction.

Meng Qi shook his head with a smile. “It was merely a trick. I used the ‘Demon Buddha Imprint’ within the Peerless Heavenly Blade as an external ‘variable,’ connecting it to the ‘River of Fate’ through the ‘Connector of All Causes,’ thereby creating variations and deriving more futures to escape the predetermined fate.”

He did not conceal the process, as he had used well-known divine abilities and techniques. As for the Demon Buddha Imprint, the experts of Zhixu Mountain would eventually deduce it even if they hadn’t thought of it yet. Thus, it was better to be forthright and earn their goodwill.

“An external ‘variable’…” Mo Fei, Huang Yao, and the others murmured the term, comparing it to their own research.

After a long silence, Mo Fei finally sighed. “Our Zhixu Mountain had long considered the direction of an external ‘variable,’ but lacking a ‘Nirvana artifact’ and with the ‘Jade Doll of Substituted Causes and Effects’ unable to bear such vast and complex causal connections, our progress was painfully slow…”

At this point, he realized he had been too focused on the method itself and had spoken too bluntly and impolitely. He quickly added, “Simply meeting these conditions is incredibly difficult, and the manipulation in between also tests one’s abilities. It truly demonstrates Sect Leader Su’s prowess. If our positions were reversed, even with the ‘Connector of All Causes’ and a Nirvana imprint, I doubt I could have crossed the ‘River of Fate’ smoothly at the Legendary Realm.”

Noticing Huang Yao and Yue Ziqing’s eagerness to ask more questions, Meng Qi waved his sleeve and released the contents of the ruins, restoring them to their original state as he had first seen them.

“After crossing the ‘River of Fate’ and opening the stone door to the secret realm, this was the scene I encountered. There were none of the various future possibilities left by your founding ancestor…” His expression turned solemn.

“Hmm?” “Eh?” Mo Fei, Huang Yao, Yue Ziqing, and the others were taken aback, momentarily forgetting their questions about the River of Fate as they examined the broken jade slips and fragments.

Meng Qi stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching them and waiting patiently.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the fewer than ten high-ranking members of Zhixu Mountain exchanged glances, their expressions grave, puzzled, and sorrowful.

Mo Fei took a deep breath and said, “This was indeed the place where our ancestor slumbered. We never expected such bizarre changes, nor that our ancestor would vanish without a trace.”

He bowed solemnly. “Thank you, Sect Leader Su, for informing us. Otherwise, we would still be in the dark about this anomaly.”

After thanking Meng Qi, he turned to Yue Ziqing. “Ziqing, take my sect leader’s token and enter the central hub. Gradually adjust the rules and balance the restrictions, aiming to dissolve the prohibitions here within forty-nine days and temporarily return the ‘River of Fate’ to its illusory state.”

“Yes, Master.” Yue Ziqing answered without hesitation and left to carry out the order.

Zhixu Mountain had emergency measures to cross the “River of Fate” in times of crisis to awaken their founding ancestor, but they were slow and would take at least forty-nine days.

Commands were issued one after another, and the elders departed as Mo Fei methodically arranged matters.

Only after he finished did Meng Qi speak again. “Are you certain your ancestor merely disappeared?”

This was the most concerning part of Mo Fei’s earlier response.

“I cannot confirm, only that the ancestor’s soul lamp in the sect’s central hub has not extinguished,” Mo Fei replied frankly.

The soul lamp still burns? Meng Qi was startled, as this seemed inconsistent with his own judgment.

The scene and residual information suggested that Zhixu Mountain’s founding ancestor had been utterly erased or perished from backlash. Yet, his soul lamp remained lit!

But this made sense—otherwise, Zhixu Mountain would have noticed the anomaly in their ancestor’s resting place long ago.

Had the founding ancestor not died but mysteriously vanished? Or had someone tampered with the soul lamp to maintain its light?

At this point, Mo Fei spoke again. “I heard from Ziqing that Sect Leader Su came to our sect seeking the various futures our ancestor had deduced. Unfortunately, with the secret realm destroyed, those are all gone. However, if Sect Leader Su does not mind, we are willing to offer the many future possibilities accumulated and revised by our sect over the generations.”

Meng Qi nodded slightly. “Are there any that clearly involve the Green Emperor?”

At this point, it was better than nothing. While searching for the Wuxiang Sect or the Evil Fate Sect, he might as well hear Mo Fei’s descriptions of the future.

Mo Fei was taken aback, then laughed wryly. “The core of the dispute between Elder Huang and me is precisely the issue of the Green Emperor.”

As a Legendary, he could temporarily set aside the negative emotions brought by his ancestor’s disappearance or demise.

“What is the dispute?” Hearing this, Meng Qi inwardly cursed Yue Ziqing. Had he known earlier, he would have sought an audience with Mo Fei first before deciding whether to attempt the three trials.

Yue Ziqing had clearly believed Meng Qi had a chance to pass all the trials and thus concealed this matter, urging him on.

Mo Fei said earnestly, “In the future I deduced, ten years from now, the Green Emperor will attain the Dao in the Fusang Ancient Tree Domain and ascend to Nirvana. This is an unalterable trend, an inevitable development. However, Elder Huang calculated that the Green Emperor would fail to attain the Dao in the Fusang Ancient Tree Domain, paying the price of the complete disappearance of the Supreme Heavenly Venerable and the Medicine King Buddha. In my view, her deductions are highly problematic…”

He spoke at length, as if Meng Qi were not standing before him but the black-robed old woman Huang Yao.

After listening quietly for a while, Meng Qi suddenly asked, “Sect Leader Mo, does this mean that whether you are right or she is, one thing is certain: the Green Emperor will go to the Fusang Ancient Tree Domain in the future?”

The Green Emperor had once obtained the core of the Haotian Mirror, refining it into a peerless treasure. The Fusang Ancient Tree was nourished by the blood of Donghuang Taiyi and the Heavenly Emperor Haotian. Did the Green Emperor choose this place to attain the Dao for deeper reasons?

“More than ninety-nine percent certain,” Mo Fei nodded.

“Excellent.” Meng Qi smiled faintly and proceeded to inquire about the future developments deduced by Zhixu Mountain over the generations. Though the predictions concerning himself were too vague due to the “Connector of All Causes,” the calculations regarding other matters were still of great help.

Grateful for Meng Qi’s earlier assistance, Mo Fei held nothing back.

After nearly an hour, Meng Qi clasped his hands in salute. “With such a major event befalling your sect, I shall not impose further.”

He needed to hurry to the Fusang Ancient Tree to leave a message for the future Green Emperor, something along the lines of: “Su Meng of the Jade Void has long awaited the Green Emperor’s arrival.”