“Alright,” the ethereal and cold female voice replied succinctly.
The dream returned to tranquility. The full, radiant moon gradually faded into illusion, and the old boatman’s figure dissipated like foam, along with the entire world.
…
Deep within the Nine Nether, atop a pitch-black mountain peak, Meng Qi sat cross-legged in meditation, his hands forming a mudra before him—one wreathed in purple lightning, the other shimmering with pale gold. In his mind, he replayed the words Gu Xiaosang had spoken earlier:
“In the past, the Golden Emperor used me as a marker, endowing me with His experiences and insights. The more I knew, the deeper my schemes could be. But this was bound by certain nodes—from the moment I was born, I no longer had access to His subsequent memories. Attempting to grasp His current state and arrangements would easily lead me into a trap.”
“However, the fact that I retained my own spirit and developed an independent consciousness must have been the covert work of a certain great figure. I’m not entirely sure who it was—perhaps the Primordial Heavenly Lord, or perhaps the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Lord. He showed me many clear futures and revealed secrets even the Old Mother didn’t know. This is the foundation of our plans and the source of our hope.”
“At first glance, Amitabha belongs to the opposing faction, forming a stable alliance with the Old Mother, making Him an unlikely ally. But upon deeper reflection, one arrives at a conclusion beyond ordinary expectations. The Earthly Buddha Kingdom and the Vacuous Pure Land are fundamentally contradictory in intent, destined to clash eventually. In the face of an event as pivotal as Maitreya’s enlightenment—one that could shift the balance—Amitabha and the Unborn Old Mother are merely maintaining a facade of unity. By appealing to interests and exploiting vulnerabilities, it’s not impossible to pull the rug from under them, dismantling the opposing faction outright and paving the way for your ascension to the Other Shore.”
“*Heh*, as for the above, take it with a grain of salt, husband. This is merely the narrative we’re using to mislead the Golden Emperor and Amitabha. The truth is, Amitabha would never permit you to reach the Other Shore—His opposition is even more resolute than that of the Golden Emperor or the Ancient Buddha. This is a battle of the Great Dao, with no room for compromise.”
“The Old Mother’s primary target is me, while the Ancient Buddha’s grudge with you stems from a ‘Three Corpses’ feud, which isn’t irreconcilable.”
“These ancient beings, who have already formed the embryonic Dao Fruit, have but one goal: to perfect the Dao Fruit and achieve ultimate transcendence. Bound by the constraints of epochs and now facing the Cataclysm, it’s truly a zero-sum game—either you or them.”
“By deliberate allowance, ancient figures like the Primordial Heavenly Lord and Amitabha have ‘observed’ the process of the Daoist Venerable’s transcendence, gleaning key insights and potential flaws in His path, all to devise a method more suited to themselves and more flawless. Hence, we have the fall of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian, the end of the Primordial Epoch, and the anomalies of Emperor Fu. Since this epoch, they’ve retreated into the shadows, testing their respective paths. Inevitably, this has led to collisions among them—propping up the Heavenly Emperor, the rise of the Shang Dynasty, the Investiture of the Gods—all extensions of this struggle, a contest of paths, a battle of the Great Dao.”
“You, husband, are the Primordial Heavenly Lord’s second attempt at ‘emptying through subtraction,’ and you bear the name of Laozi. How could Amitabha possibly allow you to ascend to the Other Shore, thereby aiding His greatest rival in drawing closer to—or even attaining—the Dao Fruit?”
“He controls Emperor Fu, hiding deep within the Origin of Life and Death. When the True Martial Emperor suddenly struck down the Emperor of Fengdu, leaving the Ancient Bodhi Buddha’s Three Corpses incomplete, why did Amitabha refrain from intervening? Wasn’t it to watch as the Ancient Bodhi Buddha fell short of perfection, taking a step back from the Dao Fruit? If He would do this to an ally of countless epochs, what hope do you have?”
“As for why Maitreya and His ‘Earthly Buddha Kingdom’ are so crucial to Amitabha—can’t you guess, husband? The product of ‘emptying through subtraction,’ more akin to the Primordial Heavenly Lord’s method than the paths of the Daoist Venerable or the Buddha.”
“Thus, on the surface, our elaborate schemes appear aimed at drawing Amitabha into a ploy to pull the rug from under Him, as if we’re oblivious to the crux and walking into a trap, allowing Amitabha to turn the tables and use this to pressure the Golden Emperor into a deal over Maitreya. In truth, this is to mislead them, making them think our tricks end here, while masking our true efforts.”
“As for the mysteries of the Dao Fruit, the Golden Emperor doesn’t know how much I understand, while Amitabha can’t be sure whether I know what He knows. In any case, His appearance in my dream and His indirect refusal of my request indicate He has indeed taken the bait, subtly revealing the stance of these Other Shore beings—giving you hope, husband, the confidence to attempt the Dao, and the courage to leave the Nine Nether, thereby settling this matter once and for all.”
“Otherwise, with you holed up in the Nine Nether, wielding two divine weapons, aided by Yang Jian and the Seven-Killers Daoist, and the Chaotic Heavenly Sovereign barring true Other Shore beings from entering, even if the Demon Buddha were released, the most they could achieve is a stalemate, with neither side able to overcome the other until the Cataclysm’s end and the epoch’s demise.”
“By then, the future would be too murky, variables too numerous—even ancient beings might not escape unscathed. Thus, the best course is to lure you out of the Nine Nether, settling this early, letting the Lamp-Lighting Buddha seize the Cause of All Effects and Maitreya claim the Seal of Chaos and the Seal of Creation.”
“This way, we can turn their schemes against them. Your preparations in the real world can be bolder and swifter, solidifying your foundation and amassing greater reserves. This is their ‘tacit consent,’ and the momentum I sought to create by inviting Amitabha as a ‘guest.’”
“Of course, the process must remain discreet. Otherwise, to avoid arousing your ‘suspicions,’ they might retaliate in a mutually destructive manner, deploying their mighty disciples to interfere—a staged battle, much like the earlier skirmish over the Green Jade Casket, which tested their limits.”
Meng Qi withdrew his thoughts, gaining a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the current situation and greater confidence in his next steps.
Having fully refined the flesh of the Eastern Emperor and mastered the eerie Blood Peach, his accumulation in the Seal of Chaos had reached sufficient depth. He could now attempt to condense the illusory Dao Fruit—a half-formed Dao Fruit—or even sever a semi-formed fruit related to lifespan and time, aiding his journey through the past and ‘experiencing’ the future.
His primary obstacles to reaching the Other Shore lay in two areas: First, he couldn’t return to the real world, as his ‘past and future’ had shifted to the Nine Nether, leaving him without the complete, genuine experience of traversing time—like someone who’d simulated an exam hundreds of times but never taken it, unlike the Green Emperor’s thorough preparations. Second, the Cause of All Effects and the Seal of Creation still lacked refinement. If an opportunity arose to address this, he’d take it; if not, he’d focus solely on the Seal of Chaos for his ascension.
As he analyzed his condition, a sudden glow appeared before him—a weathered, ancient stele inscribed with seven large characters: “Kill.”
The Seven-Killers Stele!
It seemed the Seven-Killers Daoist had made his decision… Meng Qi sighed inwardly. This ‘gift’ arrived just in time—like a pillow appearing the moment one feels drowsy.
Back when he’d returned to the Middle Ages, leaving behind a segment of history, it had been through the residual power of the Other Shore. The Seven-Killers Stele possessed similar capabilities, though far less conspicuous than the Peerless Heavenly Blade or the Human Emperor’s Sword. Though the ‘self’ from that era had since been transferred to the Nine Nether, traces and imprints remained in the Middle Ages. With the stele’s guidance and the mystical properties of the Cause of All Effects, he could now attempt to send the “Supreme Heart Demon” back to the Middle Ages from the Nine Nether, awakening those imprints and leaving ‘past markers’ for his future ascension to the Other Shore!
Using the Peerless Heavenly Blade to sever the mountain peak’s connection to the outside world, he placed his right hand on the stele’s inscription. In his eyes, the increasingly ancient and profound Dao Yi Glazed Lamp manifested.
As karma intertwined and the Cataclysm drew nearer, chaos grew. Black-and-white light silently illuminated the Seven-Killers Stele, while the rhythmic thumping of a heart seemed to echo from the void.
…
In a tavern in Luocheng, Meng Qi sat across from Ren Qiushui, discussing swordsmanship.
After a long silence, Ren Qiushui finally spoke: “Your knowledge of sword arts seems boundless—as if you know them all. So, which sword art do you practice?”
Meng Qi chuckled. “Me?”
“I practice the ‘Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception.’”
The Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception? Ren Qiushui’s right hand clenched abruptly.
Just as her spirit wavered, a flash of purple light—brilliant as lightning—flickered in Meng Qi’s eyes.
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