“What are you talking about?” Hearing the Yama Emperor’s confident words, Meng Qi’s gaze flickered slightly as he took a step back, moving from the warm vitality of “life” into the silent chill of “death.”
The Yama Emperor turned fully around, his towering figure advancing slowly like a mountain to be revered:
“I am speaking of your schemes.”
“Because you feared that the ‘Sleeve Cosmos’ carrying figures like Guangcheng and Manjushri—those with great supernatural powers—would be detected by the supreme beings behind me, you changed your mind and chose another method.”
Hiding figures like Guangchengzi, Manjushri, Chijingzi, and Yuding Zhenren within the Sleeve Cosmos or one’s inner world might seem difficult to detect, much like how Gu Xiaosang hid in Meng Qi’s left acupoint without being discovered by the Golden Emperor. But in reality, this was not the case. The latter’s current realm was far inferior to the former disciples of the Jade Void, and Meng Qi had not yet stepped into the realm of Creation, leaving a clear gap. Even as the Cause of All Effects, it was difficult for him to completely suppress the influence of their power on causal connections and the subtle workings of fate, making it easy for the supreme beings behind the Yama Emperor to sense them.
If the Green Emperor specifically intervened to conceal this, it would easily create the problem of “protesting too much.”
But this was not the main point. The main point was that the schemes Meng Qi had once considered—mere thoughts that had only crossed his mind—had been laid bare by the Yama Emperor with a single sentence. Before Him, it seemed there were no secrets at all, which was truly terrifying!
Meng Qi seemed affected by this shock to his spirit and took another step back, his tone unconsciously turning cold: “Exploring the Origin of Life and Death with someone whose allegiance is unclear—if I didn’t prepare, I’d be as foolish as an ox. Attempting to bring my fellow disciples along using the Sleeve Cosmos, not to harm anyone proactively but only as a contingency in case you turned hostile—what’s wrong with that? And in the end, I didn’t go through with it!”
As he spoke, his lips trembled slightly as if he wanted to ask something, but he forcibly restrained himself.
At the Legendary realm, one could examine their own thoughts, making mental confrontations and pressure of aura seem ineffective. But this only applied to longer delays, such as planting a seed of defeat in the opponent’s mind to be triggered later. By then, the opponent would have already examined their thoughts and eliminated the negative influence. In face-to-face confrontations, however, if one could deliver enough impact to the opponent’s mind to prevent them from examining and dispelling it in an extremely short time, it could still create an effect of one waxing while the other wanes.
The Yama Emperor’s towering figure advanced, exerting increasing pressure on Meng Qi:
“What do you want to ask? Whether my words just now were deduced?”
“Hmph, not only do I know this, but I also know what arrangements you made after abandoning this scheme!”
“Taking advantage of the fact that I and Zhenwu are at opposite ends of life and death within the Origin, where our auras naturally pull at each other—with the right catalyst, you could rely on his instinctive sword strike to trap me, creating a collision between those who have perfected the Sea of Bitterness, making it easier for you to use the Yin-Yang Seal to pry open the Origin of Life and Death and partially refine it!”
“And the ‘Book of Life and Death’ in your hand, seemingly protecting you from being ‘assimilated by the Dao’ for a short time, is actually the catalyst for this aura interaction!”
“If all this failed, you would use the Tree of the Great Dao to create chaos, collapse the Origin, and escape!”
As the Yama Emperor detailed the scheme, it was as if He had been by Meng Qi’s side, hearing everything firsthand. His voice grew increasingly authoritative, like low thunder:
“Answer me—was what I just said correct or not?”
Each word struck like a curse, shaking Meng Qi’s true spirit. His expression shifted slightly as he took another step back, his mind seemingly struck by a violent impact. But his lips remained sealed, and he did not blurt out the tacit admission, “How do you know?”
The Yama Emperor halted His steps, adopting a condescending tone and demeanor: “Over so many epochs, there have been countless examples of those who fell due to greed—the former Celestial Emperor was one, and now you will be another!”
His tone carried an ancient weight.
Suddenly, Meng Qi smiled calmly: “Fellow Daoist Yama, don’t try to intimidate me with empty words. I’ve always known my limits—”
Before he could finish, a vibrant green branch brimming with vitality appeared in his right hand—one leaf a universe, one branch a layer of heaven—none other than the “Tree of the Great Dao,” capable of absorbing the realms of the Immortal World and the Netherworld, nearing the Dao itself.
As soon as the Tree of the Great Dao appeared, light surged from it, extending into the surrounding abstract concepts. At the same time, the “Book of Life and Death” protecting Meng Qi’s body spun rapidly, intertwining black and white, chaos of yin and yang.
He acted decisively, seemingly ready to use all means to create chaos and flee.
At that moment, a branch also appeared in the Yama Emperor’s hand—crystalline and translucent, inlaid with the Seven Buddhist Treasures, radiating wondrous light and colors, suffused with the essence of great purity and great extinction.
Compared to the Bodhi Wonderful Tree that once suppressed the Devil Buddha, one of its branches bore a clear break!
This was the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, the Dao-proving artifact of the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi!
With a sweep of the seven-colored light, it struck belatedly yet arrived first, brushing the Tree of the Great Dao from Meng Qi’s grasp and knocking his Book of Life and Death aside. At the same time, Buddhist intent surged, enveloping both like insects trapped in amber, leaving them unable to move!
With a single strike, all of Meng Qi’s preparations were utterly destroyed!
The being behind the Yama Emperor was the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi! He was actually willing to bestow the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree upon Him? Shock flashed in Meng Qi’s eyes as thoughts raced through his mind.
The Yama Emperor suddenly laughed: “There is no supreme being behind me—because I am one myself!”
He could actually read Meng Qi’s thoughts, more terrifying than the “Mind-Reading” supernatural power!
Himself? Realization and terror dawned in Meng Qi’s eyes.
The Ancient Buddha of Bodhi achieved the Dao by severing His three corpses, one of which was the Daoist Zhunti. The identities of the remaining two had always been unknown.
So the Yama Emperor was one of the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi’s three corpses!
No wonder He had always been so mysterious, even the Golden Emperor knew nothing of Him! No wonder He could directly obtain the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree! No wonder He was so powerful and confident, daring to claim that at full strength He could annihilate most of the Jade Void Palace’s experts and render all of Meng Qi’s arrangements futile!
Because He was a supreme being Himself!
Of course, the Yama Emperor’s Dao of Life and Death was not yet perfected. In terms of strength, He was not yet a supreme being—otherwise, He would not need to eliminate Zhenwu or enter the Origin of Life and Death for enlightenment. But He possessed the consciousness of a supreme being, displaying divine wonders in subtle ways that made Him nearly invincible!
—Forming an illusory Dao fruit from the same foundation was not an exclusive relationship. Predecessors could do it, and successors could as well. However, the more individuals who formed illusory Dao fruits from similar foundations, the lower the chances of later success—paths were not always smoother the more they were traveled; there was also the concept of “congestion.” Later practitioners were easily influenced by predecessors who had already achieved certain aspects of the corresponding Dao, making it harder for them to forge their own path.
After brushing aside the Tree of the Great Dao and the Book of Life and Death with the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, the Yama Emperor raised His left hand, manifesting the cycle of samsara—six swirling vortices, hazy as a dream—ready to engulf Meng Qi.
At that moment, the abstract concepts behind Him surged like boiling water overflowing. The Yama Emperor’s heart stirred, and most of His attention shifted there!
This…
A treasure wheel seemingly governing the life and death of all heavens flew out from the abstract descriptions, scattering black and white light, stirring the Origin of Life and Death and bringing endless tides of life and death.
Amid the surging tides, Zhenwu the Great Emperor’s body trembled slightly.
Meng Qi’s expression remained calm. Seizing the opportunity, he slashed out with the Peerless Heavenly Lord’s Saber, purple lightning flooding forth to clash against the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree. Taking advantage of the Yama Emperor’s momentary flaw, he pulled out the “Book of Life and Death” and detonated it!
The possibility that you are one of the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi’s three corpses—I deduced it long ago using the method of exhaustion!
Back in the Eastern Glazed Pure Land, I hypothesized different supreme beings as your backer and deduced accordingly. The result showed three scenarios as the most dangerous.
First, you were backed by the Green Emperor. After achieving the supreme realm, He retroactively set you up in the past, altering history. This would create the logical contradiction of Him achieving the Dao later while you established the Netherworld earlier without being discovered. But this could only deceive us—how could the Golden Emperor, a supreme being, fail to notice the change in history?
Second, you were backed by the Golden Emperor. When leaving the “mark,” She deliberately erased part of Her memory, ensuring even Gu Xiaosang wouldn’t know of your existence. But unless the Golden Emperor had already “foreseen” that Xiaosang would escape Her control, there was no need for such concealment.
Third, you were not a subordinate of a supreme being—you were one of Them. On this point, Xiaosang once told me that two of the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi’s three corpses were shrouded in mystery. Connecting the dots wasn’t hard!
Thus, to guard against this most dangerous possibility, I deliberately unsealed the special Sanskrit characters given by the Daoist Zhunti earlier, sealing away key thoughts and transmitting seemingly correct information—everything you knew was what I wanted you to know!
This was why the Yama Emperor could so clearly discern my thoughts and arrangements. Back then, to trap the Daoist Zhunti and the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi, I suppressed and sealed the special Sanskrit characters deep within my mind’s ocean, occasionally unsealing them to feign inadvertent recollection—lest I be caught unprepared when the time came to act. If the long-silent special Sanskrit suddenly sent a message, anyone would find it suspicious. Continuity was essential!
The reason Xiaosang didn’t mention this scenario was that once the plan shifted from targeting the Yama Emperor to knowingly targeting one of the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi’s three corpses—involving Him directly—it was easy to trigger His intuition. Even with the Primordial Heavenly Lord and the Green Emperor’s concealment, there was still a chance!
Thus, she said, “Keep the Wheel of Life and Death of All Heavens as a contingency, guarding against accidents.” What accident? This very accident!
Boom! Under Meng Qi’s icy gaze, the Book of Life and Death exploded, shaking the Origin.
Zhenwu the Great Emperor’s eyes suddenly opened, a hint of purple within them.
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