“Feet?”
Meng Qi’s gaze sharpened as the Supreme Ultimate Primordial Chaos Cloud surged once more from his mud-pellet palace, cascading darkness that transformed into streams of chaotic energy, enveloping him entirely.
Had the saying truly come to pass—where good omens fail but ill omens strike? Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao appears?
He focused his vision and saw a pair of feet clad in boots forged from golden dragon scales, each planted firmly in opposing realms—one in the frigid silence of death, the other in the warm vitality of life—perfectly balanced, the cycle of life and death endlessly revolving.
Following the boots upward, he beheld an emperor’s black robe draping a tall, majestic figure, arms hanging naturally at its sides. Immortal qi swirled into clouds, and the melodious strumming of a zither painted an ethereal scene amidst the abstract duality of the Origin of Life and Death, resonating with the deepest chords of existence. A single thought could grant life; a single note could bring death.
Fu Huang… The name flashed through Meng Qi’s mind, and even his perfected, resilient heart couldn’t suppress a flicker of despair.
The only one who knew how to traverse the Origin of Life and Death and matched the figure before him was the enigmatic Fu Huang—a being far more terrifying than the Black Heavenly Emperor, now all but confirmed as a Nirvana-level existence!
Though the Emperor of Fengdu had mentioned Fu Huang’s unstable state, a Nirvana-level being was still a Nirvana-level being. With no escape left, Meng Qi stood no chance of resistance.
How had Fu Huang deduced his plan to hide in the Origin of Life and Death? Had the Green Emperor failed to shield him? Or was Fu Huang, wielding the “River Chart,” simply peerless in divination, even among Nirvana-level beings?
The emperor’s face remained obscured by the dangling beads of his crown, but above his head floated an ancient scroll of hide, marked with ten black-and-white dots that seemed to encapsulate the essence of Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, and the Eight Trigrams—a masterpiece of divine calculation.
The zither’s melody, sweet yet untraceable, seemed to drift from an unseen instrument in the void.
Fu Huang’s voice, deep and resonant, broke the silence:
“Hand over the Fengshen Bang.”
The words alone twisted the illusory River of Time into a vortex, converging violently at Fu Huang’s brow, distorting the flow of time within the Origin. Meng Qi felt like a mosquito trapped in amber—only a thin layer around him remained free, the rest sealed in stasis.
Just words, and he was powerless to resist.
The Emperor of Fengdu had said Fu Huang’s state was unstable—but how? Suppressing despair, Meng Qi’s mind raced, searching for a sliver of hope.
Where was the instability? His sleeve flicked as he feigned retrieving the Fengshen Bang, his gaze sweeping over Fu Huang once more.
Suddenly, their eyes met—briefly—and Meng Qi’s mind buzzed, nearly losing consciousness.
Those eyes were abyssal whirlpools, layer upon layer of chaos, as if countless worlds overlapped within. Without the protection of the Supreme Ultimate Primordial Chaos Cloud, a mere glance would have shattered his innate spiritual light, reducing him to a mindless husk.
Memories flared—this sensation matched Yunhe Zhenren’s description of the entity sealed within the Nine Immortal Tombs. The only difference? Fu Huang’s eyes still held a sliver of clarity.
In that instant, Meng Qi made his choice. As he “produced” the Fengshen Bang, he uttered two words:
“Taiyi.”
Donghuang Taiyi!
“Taiyi?” Fu Huang’s gaze froze. His hands shot up, clutching his head as a low, agonized groan escaped him.
The soundwaves nearly obliterated Meng Qi—his Supreme Ultimate Primordial Chaos Cloud collapsed, and even the near-illusory Yuanxin Seal almost backfired. Yet Fu Huang’s lapse also granted him an opening—the frozen time around him thawed, and escape became possible.
Outside lurked old foes, but behind him was Fu Huang. Trapped between wolf and tiger, he could only pit them against each other.
Steeled by past trials—cycles of torment, the Six Paths’ oppression, Xiaosang’s death, the Demon Buddha’s enmity—Meng Qi refused surrender.
Then, from the vibrant abstract vitality, a streak of cyan light coalesced into a figure—disheveled hair, eccentric robes, serene elegance: the Green Emperor.
Having once forged the “Book of Life and Death” for Meng Qi here, the Emperor could sense disturbances in the Origin. With the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi’s concealment lifted, he had traced the trail.
At this critical juncture, he had descended in person.
Meng Qi aborted his escape. Outside, without Fu Huang in pursuit and the Green Emperor entangled here, he’d face the Black Heavenly Emperor and the Nine Chaos Heavenly Venerate alone—a disaster.
Reacting too swiftly had burned him before in the Nine Heavens.
Sensing the Green Emperor’s presence, Fu Huang—mid-groan—retreated into the Origin’s depths and vanished mysteriously.
“An unstable Fu Huang retains Nirvana-level power but dares not confront a true Nirvana being… His flaw must be severe.” Meng Qi mused. “No wonder he sought the Luo Book to pair with the River Chart—a Nirvana-level treasure to restore himself.”
“And his issue ties to Donghuang Taiyi… Did that ancient emperor truly escape the Heavenly Emperor’s grasp, surviving the epoch’s end to scheme in this era?”
As he pondered, the Green Emperor turned to him. A casual finger-point summoned vitality—Meng Qi’s injuries healed instantly.
Such was the might of a Nirvana sovereign presiding over wood and life.
“My gratitude for your aid, Senior Green Emperor.” Meng Qi bowed with a smile.
The Green Emperor nodded. “My concealment was disrupted by Fu Huang, endangering you. Now, the old fiends of the Netherworld lie in wait. To avoid mishaps, hand me the Fengshen Bang. I shall return directly to the Fusang Ancient Tree Domain and deliver it to Gao Lan.”
Without hesitation, Meng Qi produced the scroll. “This is most prudent, though I fear imposing on you.”
As the Green Emperor stowed the Fengshen Bang, radiant light enveloped him—preparing to depart. Meng Qi blinked. “Senior Green Emperor… and me?”
Aren’t you taking me along? Leaving me here means facing the Black Heavenly Emperor and company alone!
The Green Emperor’s lips curved faintly. “Staying benefits you. But the reward requires… tempering.”
Tempering? Against the Black Heavenly Emperor, Nine Chaos Heavenly Venerate, Xuanming Ghost Emperor, and Nether Blood Demon? Meng Qi barely stifled a groan. “What reward?”
“Your fragment of the Heavenly Emperor’s Mirror—produce it.”
As Meng Qi withdrew the shard, the Green Emperor pointed. Above him, auspicious clouds and a cyan tree manifested—his illusory Dao Fruit.
The shard’s light exploded, solidifying into a dull, ancient mirror—a near-perfect replica of the primordial Heavenly Emperor’s Mirror, albeit with but half its profundity.
“It can be used once. How much you glean depends on you.” The Green Emperor’s voice faded as his form dissolved.
He had imbued the shard with his insights and experiences wielding the mirror. After one use, it would crumble to dust.
Even at half-strength, the mirror’s power was formidable—enough to escape the old fiends… Meng Qi stroked its surface, sighing deeply only after the Green Emperor vanished completely.
Had the Green Emperor acted directly when the Black Heavenly Emperor spotted him, he could have repelled the fiend and extracted Meng Qi from the Netherworld without this detour.
But the Origin of Life and Death concealed Nirvana-level scrutiny—without the Green Emperor’s personal power. Thus, none but Meng Qi knew the Fengshen Bang had changed hands.
Hence his swift compliance. Open conflict served no one.
Not that he doubted the Green Emperor’s integrity—the scroll would reach Gao Lan. But the interim allowed for… adjustments by a being of such stature.
As for the Green Emperor’s true designs—his stance on the Heavenly Order’s restoration, his ambitions for the celestial throne—Meng Qi could only guess.
The ways of heaven are inscrutable… He sighed again.
This “reward” was likely the Green Emperor’s karmic repayment.
No use dwelling. Resolute, Meng Qi focused on the mirror, mastering its use before stepping out of the Origin of Life and Death—into the jaws of the wolves.
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