Feeling the gaze of the Demon Saint upon him, Meng Qi’s heart suddenly stirred. Just as he was about to approach the edge of the Netherworld, an icy chill swept over his entire body. In his mind, the image of the Golden Water Pool in the Jade Pond appeared, along with the lofty, indifferent gaze that had once peered down from the palace above.
The Mother of No Birth!
The Golden Mother of the Jade Pond!
Truly relentless! Even after traveling back from the present node to the Age of Myths, She still watched his every move without the slightest slack. Meng Qi slightly raised his head, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as the sea, concealing countless invisible whirlpools, like points of primordial chaos.
Their gazes met and clashed. The dim Netherworld suddenly plunged into utter darkness, the edges of the sky collapsing inward, transforming into terrifying black holes that devoured everything around them, scattering mists of time.
The confrontation lasted only a moment before both withdrew. Meng Qi once again released the shimmering crystalline fruit, surrounded by an increasingly complete illusory river of time upstream. It stirred the fabric of space-time, forming a tunnel that whisked him away from his original location.
The Demon Saint and the Heavenly Slaughter Daoist were mere historical imprints, devoid of true sentience. Seeing Meng Qi depart, they paid him no further mind and resumed their fierce battle.
…
Lin Suhe, clutching the cyan-green jade box, arrived in a panic at the nearest island equipped with a teleportation array. This place connected to the Central Plains and bridged the east and west. Even during the era of the Myriad Realms Trading Hub, it had been a renowned hub for the distribution and transfer of goods. Now, it had developed into one of the world’s most prosperous marketplaces, trading all manner of items, including rare treasures.
Yet Lin Suhe had no time to explore. He immediately descended outside the teleportation hall and, after a relatively simple process, stepped into the formation leading beyond the ancient Fusang Tree.
Light surged around him, protecting his body and spirit. He felt only a slight dizziness, spared from being crushed to dust by the spatial turbulence. The darkness before him seemed to recede rapidly, yet also as if it had never moved at all.
“Finally, safety,” Lin Suhe sighed, patting the cyan-green jade box in his arms. In just a moment or two, he would reach his destination!
To him, as long as no obstacles appeared before the teleportation array activated, everything would be fine. Once he arrived at the island beyond the Fusang Tree’s domain, near the Green Emperor’s Dao Field, who would dare to rob him?
Moreover, the cyan-green jade box had shown no abnormalities, completely dispelling his lingering worries.
Just then, a faint light flickered in the pure black darkness before him, illuminating the void.
It was a warm, serene flame, like a lamp lit by a mother at night to guide her wandering child home. Lin Suhe felt the direction of his teleportation subtly shift, pulling him toward that translucent, crystalline glass lamp!
It was the original tranquility!
It was the final destination, the longing for home buried in every heart!
The void contracted, the flame now as small as a bean and right before him. Lin Suhe knew something was wrong, but at his level, he was powerless to respond.
“Is that the Wanderer’s Lamp from the Luo Sect?” Lin Suhe’s pupils shrank to pinpoints, his heart roiling with shock.
What had he gotten himself into, to “merit” the summons of the Wanderer’s Lamp?
In his daze, an object suddenly fell from the void above him—bright, white, and seemingly slow yet fast—directly striking the Wanderer’s Lamp.
The white light left a lingering trace in Lin Suhe’s vision. He faintly discerned it as a ring with a gap, its patterns concealed, returning to simplicity, exuding an ancient aura that blended the transcendence of Daoism with the serenity of Buddhism.
As the ring approached, the Wanderer’s Lamp burst into radiant light, illuminating the void, piercing through the Three Realms and Ten Directions, the myriad universes, desperately resisting the approach of the bright, white glow.
Yet, with a sharp *snap*, the ring gathered all the light into itself, like a halo descending, trapping the Wanderer’s Lamp at its center.
The lamp’s flame flickered, sending out ripples, but it could not break free, no longer affecting the surrounding darkness. Lin Suhe’s vision returned to pure void.
“What treasure is this? It can even capture the Luo Sect’s Wanderer’s Lamp?” His heart pounded like a drum, and for the first time, he truly understood the feeling of encountering true power.
Then, a bright moon rose before him, casting pure, crystalline light, guiding Lin Suhe’s teleportation back to its correct path.
At the center of the moon sat a Bodhisattva as beautiful as moonlight, their form layered, each aspect displaying sublime virtues, instilling an involuntary sense of peace and joy.
“Moonlight Bodhisattva!” As a cultivator from the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Worlds, how could Lin Suhe not recognize this great Bodhisattva of the Eastern Pure Lapis Lazuli Land? His heart swelled with both joy and shock, unable to believe his eyes, as if trapped in a dream.
This was a great divine being who had cultivated their Reward Body to the level of Creation!
The Eastern Pure Lapis Lazuli World was omnipresent, while the Fusang Tree’s domain manifested at the eastern edge of the sea. Thus, reverence for the Green Emperor, the Great Compassionate Heavenly Venerable of Salvation from Suffering, and the Medicine Buddha was a dominant trend in the overseas immortal realms. By extension, the Nine Spirits Sage, mount of the Great Compassionate Heavenly Venerable, and the Moonlight Bodhisattva, attendant of the Medicine Buddha, were also commonly worshipped. Temples could be seen in many market islands. Though the statues might differ from the true forms—mortals could hardly capture the visage of immortals and Buddhas—their general appearances were unmistakable!
Amidst the chanting of Buddhist hymns and the receding darkness, Lin Suhe relaxed once more. With the Moonlight Bodhisattva’s guidance, his task was nearly complete.
What an unimaginably thrilling experience!
Suddenly, he heard the sound of wind—amidst the moonlit darkness, amidst the silence broken only by Buddhist chants—he heard the wind!
The wind howled, the heavens and earth spun. Lin Suhe felt himself shrinking rapidly, as if the universe itself had changed.
The Moonlight Bodhisattva, the pure light, the Buddhist hymns—all had vanished without a trace.
“Roar!”
At that moment, he heard an earth-shaking roar, as if echoing in nine layers. Another gust of wind swept from behind, pulling him free from the binding force and hurling him toward the reappearing moon and the Moonlight Bodhisattva.
Turning back in shock, Lin Suhe saw only two indistinct figures standing at either end of the darkness. One was wreathed in ghostly energy, wearing an emperor’s crown and robes, sleeves billowing as if to envelop all. The other was vast as a galaxy, shaped like a lion with nine heads, its maw gaping to swallow the cosmos. Each occupied half of the void, with turbulent currents clashing between them.
“The Nine Spirits Sage!” Lin Suhe’s hair stood on end, unsure whether from excitement or terror.
And the other—was that the Luo Sect’s renowned divine ability: *Sleeve Cosmos*?
As his form landed, he found himself in a Pure Land, face-to-face with the Moonlight Bodhisattva. His heart steadied slightly, and he reached into his robe to present the cyan-green jade box.
But his hand found only empty space—the jade box was gone!
Terror gripped Lin Suhe as a memory surfaced: upon entering the teleportation hall and paying the fee, he had encountered a handsome monk in ancient robes, his skin faintly golden, a coveted “Buddha” mark on his forehead. The monk had smiled at him, and in that instant, a thousand truths and ten thousand insights flooded his mind, as if he had suddenly grasped profound martial principles. By the time he stepped into the teleportation array and reached for the jade box, it was already gone.
Had that carefree, handsome monk taken the cyan-green jade box?
In the bustling marketplace, the World-Freedom Buddha, his eyes half-lidded, withdrew his hand from the shimmering, illusory river upstream. A cyan-green jade box materialized in his arms.
With a smile, he opened the box without hesitation, eager to see what lay within.
The lid flipped open, revealing a slowly writhing mass of dark red flesh!
Every blood vessel, every drop of blood seemed to possess its own sentience!
The moment the lid was lifted, the flesh lunged out, expanding in the wind, enveloping the World-Freedom Buddha’s head!
“Su Meng!”
The World-Freedom Buddha let out a pained groan.
…
After traversing the long river of time, leaving traces in every era of the Netherworld, Meng Qi finally felt his limit approaching and stepped out of the time tunnel, its walls covered in mysterious patterns.
Around him, turbid mists and demonic intent surged. The Netherworld was still in its embryonic form. In the darkness, the wills of the Nine Chaos Heavenly Venerate, the Black Heavenly Emperor, the Dark Ghost Emperor, and Yang Jian burned like flames, illuminating the vicinity.
They, too, had traced back to the Netherworld’s birth, its very beginning!
Meng Qi remained silent, lifting his gaze beyond the Netherworld. The clear qi rose, hinting at the immortal realm, while at the center, earth, fire, water, and wind raged wildly.
Amidst the chaos, a murky, primordial cloud hung, from which strands of dark light descended, bearing golden lotuses, lamps, and jeweled garlands.
The Primordial Heavenly Venerate!
This was the first time Meng Qi had truly seen Him, even if only as an imprint.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage