A faint shimmer of light rippled from the depths of the Blood Peach’s flesh, where countless Dao patterns dispersed and coalesced, like dazzling stars forming a galaxy, stirring the water’s surface, creating ripples, and evoking an ancient desolation and the relentless passage of time.
Meng Qi immersed his mind within, contemplating the Eastern Emperor Taiyi’s insights and mastery over time, compensating for his own deficiencies in this regard. After all, the “Sword Classic of Slaying Immortals” focused on termination, while the “Primordial Unity Seal” emphasized the contraction of time—no past, no future. Both differed from the conventional path of time. Though the Great Dao has three thousand branches, all roads lead to the same destination. However, before achieving Perfection in Creation, neither offered much help in revisiting the past or glimpsing the future.
The Eastern Emperor, however, had made time the foundation of his Dao. The little peach was a partial manifestation of his Dao Fruit in this regard. Even the faintest trace of its aura could induce changes and evoke profound mysteries, albeit rudimentary, which were more than enough for Meng Qi to digest for a long time, yielding immense benefits!
Gu Xiaosang, observing from the side, closed her starry eyes and attuned her mind. She sensed an endless, shimmering river around her—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, neither mottled nor vibrant—unfolding the diverse flavors of time.
After an indeterminate period, Meng Qi opened his eyes, now ancient and weathered, with an unceasing shimmer flowing deep within. The drunken little peach was already fast asleep, seemingly exhausted. Meanwhile, the ancient bronze bell within the Peerless Heavenly Sword, formed from the remnants of the Eastern Emperor’s flesh, shook violently, emitting soft chimes that brought chaos to time and erosion to the ages, nearly breaking free from the purple blade’s restraints.
*I didn’t expect such a violent reaction…* Seeing this, Meng Qi abandoned the idea of drawing out more aura to stimulate the Blood Peach for further insights. On one hand, the little peach itself needed time to adapt to the hidden power now awakened within it. On the other, the Eastern Emperor’s remnant flesh was already highly agitated. Adding fuel to the fire risked driving it into complete madness, allowing it to break the Peerless Heavenly Sword’s seal.
*Besides, digesting what I’ve gained will take time…* With this thought, he smiled and turned to Gu Xiaosang.
“The Eastern Emperor’s remnant flesh is suppressed by the Peerless Heavenly Sword, its spirituality bound. We can now enter the ‘Myriad Realms’ within to temper ourselves.”
Having roughly grasped the Eastern Emperor’s current fragmented state, he no longer feared mentioning his name, just as he had with the Fu Emperor.
“We?” Gu Xiaosang’s eyes sparkled like countless stars, her lips curling into a teasing smile.
Meng Qi nodded slightly. “This piece of flesh hasn’t lost its vitality. Deep within, it must harbor the Eastern Emperor’s residual spirituality. While suppressed, the power it can mobilize is limited. If we can locate it, there’s a good chance of eradicating it, thereby fully controlling this Nirvana-level flesh and neutralizing its threat. Thus, your husband must enter.”
No matter what, he would exhaust all means to free the Peerless Heavenly Sword from its restraints and awaken it fully. He would never give up!
Of course, without the Eastern Emperor’s residual spirituality, the flesh’s vitality would gradually fade, and the “Myriad Realms” within would hasten toward their end. But the time before that would suffice for Xiaosang’s tempering.
“More importantly,” Meng Qi continued, “the Eastern Emperor existed through countless epochs in the Primordial Era. He witnessed conflicts with the Heavenly Emperor Haotian, suffered death, revived by merging with that monstrosity, and observed—even participated in—many events of the ancient mythological era. He also shares hidden ties with the Devil Buddha suppressed in Mount Ling. All these are likely imprinted within the ‘Myriad Realms’ of his flesh or retained in his residual memories. Gaining such insights would help me grasp the Devil Buddha’s details.”
“Only by knowing the past can one live better in the present.”
Perhaps it might even allow him to glimpse the will of Heaven and avert the calamity foretold by the Green Emperor!
Gu Xiaosang neither agreed nor disagreed, instead smiling. “This piece of flesh is utterly savage, cruel, and insane—far removed from the Eastern Emperor I know. Perhaps merging with that monstrosity caused a deviation, allowing his malignant side to dominate, even devouring his reason and benevolence. The state of the ‘Myriad Realms’ within may be far from ideal.”
“Malignant side?” Meng Qi mused.
“Similar to the evil projections of figures like the Chaos Core or the Dark Mother you’ve mentioned,” Gu Xiaosang replied, rising gracefully as white lotuses drifted around her, filling the space with an ethereal aura.
Meng Qi’s eyes lit up with understanding. After a brief pause, he said, “Regardless, we must try. And if you go alone, the danger would be greater.”
Gu Xiaosang pursed her lips in amusement. “Nirvana-level beings are not Dao Fruits—they haven’t truly attained the Dao. No matter how perfected the ‘Myriad Realms’ within them, they lack proximity to the Dao. The beings inside can, at best, reach Perfection in Creation—and that’s under optimal conditions. This piece of flesh is but a fragment of the Eastern Emperor. Though it might evolve back to its original state, it remains a remnant for now. The ‘Myriad Realms’ within are only a fraction of the original, further constrained by the Peerless Heavenly Sword’s suppression. There’s danger, but it’s not a life-or-death gamble.”
With a playful glint, she added, “Without danger, how could it temper me?”
“Well said.” Meng Qi clapped his hands, his divine sense returning to his mud-pill palace as his body shrank and vanished into the Peerless Heavenly Sword.
An endless sea of thunder filled every corner. Amidst the lightning, he appeared godlike, while deeper within, purple blade shadows firmly suppressed the ancient bronze bell. Thunderbolts erupted continuously, rolling across the bell’s surface, igniting a dazzling display of colors. Faintly visible were layers of thunder-patterned nets.
Meng Qi summoned his Primordial Chaos Cloud above his head, from which hung dark radiance adorned with golden lamps and jade pendants. Carefully navigating through the thunder-patterned nets laid by the purple blade shadows, he transformed into a streak of dark light and collided with the bronze bell.
*Dang!*
The bell’s toll reverberated, shaking the Three Realms. Meng Qi froze instantly, as if trapped in the depths of time. Were it not for the Primordial Chaos Cloud’s protection and the blade’s intervention, a drop of the flesh’s essence might have seeped into him.
*The inner world of a Nirvana-level being isn’t so easily entered!*
But this didn’t stump Meng Qi. Sensing the changes, he simulated traces of the Eastern Emperor’s essence, then drew a wisp of aura from the little peach, crafting a blurred Dao Fruit to pass as the real thing!
Advancing once more, the inky surface of the flesh rippled like water, allowing him passage.
In an instant, Meng Qi traversed infinite spatial shifts, piercing through layers of Dao barriers, arriving in a place utterly distinct from the real world.
Surrounding him was an abyssal darkness where time’s flow was nearly imperceptible—more akin to chaos than even the near-nothingness of the highest celestial realms. Were it not for his own intact form, the sense of direction within the darkness, the terrifying, innate auras lurking in its depths, and the two pairs of cold, hostile eyes secretly watching him, he might have believed he’d stepped into pure chaos.
“All things end, returning to chaos, birthing new life…” Gu Xiaosang’s voice whispered in his ear. “The Eastern Emperor endured tribulations, experienced resurrection, and suffered long suppression. It’s no surprise his ‘Myriad Realms’ shattered, reverting to a chaos-like state to preserve vitality and spirituality—a natural outcome.”
Grasping her meaning vaguely, Meng Qi frowned. “This realm resembles chaos, with no discernible direction or time. How do we locate the Eastern Emperor’s residual spirituality?”
“For others, it might be hard. But for you, husband, isn’t it simple?” Gu Xiaosang chuckled softly. “Just reopen Heaven and Earth!”
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