The sky was a clear azure, without a single cloud, vast and distant. Meng Qi, Zhen Hui, and Gu Changqing followed behind Hong Neng, stepping on gravel, heading toward Tahan.
Although the three had not exerted their full strength, their martial arts skill in lightness techniques was considerable, making them quite fast. However, Hong Neng, seemingly just walking normally, was not the slightest bit slower. He almost gave the impression of lotus flowers blooming with every step.
After several hours, the weathered rocks on the vast Gobi began increasing in number, and the terrain started to undulate. At this point, Meng Qi knew they were very close to Tahan.
Suddenly, the sky darkened. It wasn’t the gloominess of gathering dark clouds, but rather a cool and refreshing shade, as if the sky had been covered by a thin veil.
“Amitabha, remember to stay closely behind me and do not be affected by the surroundings. If your hearts remain calm, your bodies will be in a Pure Land,” Hong Neng suddenly said.
“Yes, Senior Brother Hong Neng,” Meng Qi clasped his hands together, secretly wondering whether they were approaching the Tianhai Source. Or was it because of the Tianhai Source that the weather had changed from blazing sunlight to a cool and pleasant shade?
Zhen Hui curiously looked left and right, “Senior Brother Hong Neng, we haven’t even entered Tahan’s territory yet. Could it be that the Tianhai Source has moved here on its own?”
Before Hong Neng could answer, the scenery ahead suddenly changed. What had been an endless expanse of Gobi dotted with a few weathered rocks—desolate and bleak—now transformed into a landscape flanked by dark green mountains. A great river flowed swiftly between them, its water clear and revealing the various shapes of pebbles beneath.
By the riverside, lush green grass flourished, birds darted among blooming trees, and villages dotted the landscape intermittently. Gazing upward, one could spot cave openings on the mist-veiled mountain peaks. Looking further into the distance, the river meandered upstream, ultimately merging into a vast, mist-covered lake on the high plateau ahead. Its pale blue waters shimmered softly, with mist curling upward from its surface, evoking the image of a celestial sea.
“Tianhai Source…” The moment Meng Qi saw this sight, those three words surfaced in his mind. He then recalled another passage: “Suddenly encountering a peach blossom grove, stretching hundreds of paces along the riverbank, with no other trees among them, the fragrant grass fresh and beautiful, petals falling in a shower of brilliance… He entered through the mouth of the cave. At first, it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person. After walking several dozen steps, the view suddenly opened up…”
In the midst of the desolate Gobi, encountering such a lush and picturesque place felt exactly like stepping into a paradise on earth.
“Amitabha, the Tianhai Source is one of the rare secret realms that can move freely. Today it may be in Tahan, and tomorrow it could be in the East Sea. Unless one stumbles upon the entrance by chance, otherwise whether or not you can see it depends entirely on the will of the person in charge inside. Even if you pass through its vicinity, you might not notice it at all,” Hong Neng emphasized this point with an exaggerated explanation. From Tahan to the East Sea, it certainly wouldn’t take just a single day.
This was the feeling of not being confined to a single realm… Meng Qi silently transmitted instructions to Zhen Hui through secret communication, telling him not to wander off and to stay closely behind Hong Neng. Meng Qi and Gu Changqing kept their eyes forward, their minds calm and focused.
“Heehee, people have arrived!” From among the flowering trees emerged a group of beautiful women. Their figures were graceful and alluring as they pointed excitedly at Meng Qi and the others walking along the riverbank, appearing as if they hadn’t seen a human in years.
A young woman, her every glance brimming with charm, boldly approached Meng Qi and his companions, her eyes seductive as she said, “Gentlemen, you must be tired from your long journey. Why not come to my home for a brief rest and have some tea?”
Hong Neng kept his gaze forward, ignoring her completely, as if the young woman were nothing more than a seductive skeleton.
Meng Qi recalled the state of mind he always maintained after resisting the backlash of A’Nan’s saber technique—calmly passing by, unaffected. Zhen Hui, still young, felt nothing at all. Gu Changqing silently recited the teachings: “Do not look improperly, do not listen improperly.”
One after another, the women gathered around, trying to grab the men’s clothes to pull them home. But when they reached out, their hands passed right through, as if the men were intangible.
They were stunned for a moment, then their faces broke into bewitching smiles. They began to undress slowly, letting their garments slip off. Whether innocent or mature, their bodies were revealed in various ways—some striking seductive poses, others licking their lips, some with mysterious glances, others caressing their chests, and some letting out soft moans. In an instant, the area around Meng Qi and the others became like a dance of seductive demons, filled with vibrant colors and alluring beauty, difficult to resist.
The path of sensual desire was nothing more than this, so intense that it seemed as if a faint pink mist filled the air.
“Amitabha, Shariputra, form is no different from emptiness, emptiness is no different from form; form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is form. The same applies to feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness…” Hong Neng softly recited the Buddhist sutra.
Although Meng Qi had considerable experience in this area, facing the direct temptation of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, aimed straight at the heart, he still found it hard to bear. He quickly focused on the state of mind cultivated through Ananda’s Blade Technique, lowered his head, and followed Hong Neng in reciting, “Form is no different from emptiness, emptiness is no different from form.”
In contrast, Zhen Hui looked on with wide, curious eyes, completely devoid of lustful thoughts. He appeared somewhat naive, yet gave the impression of possessing great wisdom in simplicity. Gu Changqing, however, had his eyes tightly shut, his breathing heavy, continuously reciting the teachings of sages, gripping his hands tightly as he barely managed to restrain himself.
“You’ve finally arrived,” a voice, sweet yet mournful, sounded out. Suddenly, the fox women vanished, and the entire illusion of a seductive demoness disappeared. The women reappeared, now fully clothed. Their faces were flushed red; some covered their faces, clearly embarrassed by the enchanting illusions they had just cast. Others, though equally blushing, tried to remain composed, sticking out their tongues and making faces at Meng Qi and his companions in a playful manner.
For some reason, Meng Qi felt that these women now seemed even more enticing than their previous deliberately seductive displays.
“Amitabha, it’s fortunate they don’t realize it themselves…” Meng Qi quickly steadied his calm and composed mindset.
A figure appeared ahead, walking gracefully like a willow swaying in the wind. It was the young fox girl they had met before. She was dressed conservatively, revealing only her delicate face, hands, and a small portion of her neck. Her snow-white gown covered her completely yet maintained an elegant, flowing grace.
As the saying goes, “To look charming, wear all white.” The young fox girl was already pure and exquisitely beautiful. Combined with her current attire, she appeared even more delicate and charming. Her long, fair neck and slightly chubby hands added a natural allure to her innocent charm. Her modest clothing did not seem modest at all; instead, it evoked a wild impulse to tear it off her. Compared to the naked fox women before, she was infinitely more seductive.
Swallowing hard, Meng Qi averted his gaze, not daring to look any longer, and fixed his eyes on the tips of his toes. The full-force allure of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan was indeed something only great monks or high-ranking Daoist masters could withstand. As a fake monk, his cultivation was still far from adequate. Yet, if he truly mastered A’nan’s blade technique to perfection, perhaps he would no longer fear such temptations…
His thoughts wandered, drifting elsewhere, almost forgetting the young fox girl still stood before him.
Gu Changqing also dared not look, fixating his gaze on the ground as if hoping to find some money there.
Zhen Hui, like Hong Neng, looked directly and openly, observing the young fox girl with a purely appreciative gaze.
“Amitabha, the layperson’s heart is filled with resentment, making peace difficult to attain,” Hong Neng said, then turned his gaze away from the young fox girl.
After a while, the four passed the young fox girl without incident, leaving her stomping her foot in frustration, her innocent charm fully displayed.
“Do you think the Tianhai Source has no one?” A distant, authoritative, and awe-inspiring voice echoed across the sky. The heavens grew darker and darker, and a fox head, large enough to swallow mountains, appeared in the air. Eight white tails coiled around it.
Its aura was terrifying, its demonic energy piercing the heavens above and reaching the underworld below. It was the most fearsome demonic presence Meng Qi had ever felt in his life.
The oppressive and chilling force of this demonic energy penetrated deep into Meng Qi’s heart. His body trembled slightly, and his instinct was to activate the Golden Bell Shield. However, he immediately recalled Hong Neng’s repeated instructions not to provoke conflict, to remain calm and peaceful, and to face everything with a mind at ease, as if in a blissful paradise.
Thus, he gathered his essence, energy, and spirit. With his left hand, he supported the trembling Gu Changqing, and with his right, he held onto Zhen Hui, who also struggled to resist his body’s instinctive reactions, channeling his inner energy into them to help steady them.
Heh, you may be wise in your simplicity, but even you couldn’t resist completely in such a moment… Meng Qi thought smugly. Earlier, his junior disciple had handled the temptation of beauty slightly better than he did.
I’m just a petty person who never misses a chance to mock others!
“Amitabha, why must the layperson cling to past causes and effects?” Hong Neng sighed, stepping forward with the lightness of walking with a bamboo staff and straw sandals.
Meng Qi resumed his “detached” demeanor, following behind Hong Neng with a smile on his lips, walking gracefully.
…
At the Xie Ridge camp of Zelu.
“Kang Zhi, you must send out more people to help me capture that fellow,” said a man with a slightly hunched back and dark skin, his appearance and attire resembling a rural farmer. He wore a worried expression, as if troubled by a poor harvest in his fields. A mole the size of a thumb sat at the corner of his brow.
A scholarly man in his thirties, fanning himself with a folding fan and dressed in the manner of a central plains scholar, chuckled, “Senior Brother You Huan, you are Master Ze Luo’s nephew. Your matter is our matter. Although Master Ze Luo is temporarily hiding in Ha Le to avoid the Shaolin reinforcements, as long as you give the order, we will go through fire and water without hesitation.”
“Oh, don’t make it sound so serious. It’s just capturing a single young man,” the farmer-like man was actually You Huan Duo, the leader of the seventy-two bandits of Helian Mountain, once ranked forty-first on the Human Rankings. However, after turning thirty-five, he had automatically dropped off the list.
Sensing the subtle provocation in Kang Zhi’s words, You Huan Duo dared not accept the statement directly and continued on his own, “Sigh, who have I wronged? I don’t know which time I let a young man escape during a robbery, only for him to return after learning martial arts for revenge, killing eighteen of my brothers! Eighteen brothers!”
“I pursued him all the way to Tahan, but suddenly lost track of him. I had no choice but to come to Xie Ridge to seek your assistance.”
Upon hearing of You Huan Duo’s severe losses, Kang Zhi also turned serious, “Please wait, Senior Brother You Huan. Describe the young man’s appearance so I can have a painter create a wanted poster.”
“No problem. Kang Zhi, you are Senior Uncle Ze Luo’s top strategist. Everything depends on you,” You Huan Duo seemed to lack any imposing presence. “By the way, you mentioned the Shaolin reinforcements earlier. Do you know who has come?”
Kang Zhi sighed, “Shaolin has sent their top experts. It’s the Abbot of the Dharma Hall, Kong Jian, and the Abbot of the Discipline Hall, Wu Jing.”
“Kong Jian? Although he hasn’t yet entered the Semi-Step Dharma Body realm, he is ranked among the top thirty on the Earth Rankings,” You Huan Duo frowned.
Kong Jian was one of the few remaining monks of the Kong generation.
Kang Zhi fanned himself with the folding fan, “Exactly. Can the peak of the external realm cultivation of a major martial arts sect be compared to the peak of the general external realm cultivators?”
Although reaching the peak of the external realm cultivation usually meant one had experienced many extraordinary encounters, even those from humble backgrounds would have had good “lineages,” few could rival the direct disciples of major martial arts sects who practiced Dharma Body techniques, unless they were particularly blessed with ancient divine or immortal hermitages. Most other external realm peak cultivators were somewhat inferior.
“Sigh, anyway, the Patriarch has also returned to Ha Le. There’s no need to think more about it,” You Huan Duo sighed.
Kang Zhi snorted, “As for the Shaolin people, I indeed dare not think too much. But regarding the one who helped that little monk, I have already found some clues. A young hero identified him—he’s Gu Changqing from Gujiabao. On the night when Lord An Guo died, he happened to be there. The next day, he hurriedly left. Hmph, if we don’t deal with him, people will think Xie Ling has no capable individuals!”
“What do you plan to do?” You Huan Duo still wore a worried expression.
Kang Zhi smiled, “Helping outsiders from beyond the Western Regions to oppress the locals is one of the things the Great Asura hates most. I want to see if Shen Duh Liao will still protect Gujiabao!”
“Don’t push too hard. Shen Duh Liao is also a stubborn fellow,” You Huan Duo scratched his head.
“Don’t worry, I won’t pressure Gujiabao too much. After all, they were once a great family that produced an external realm expert. They might have some hidden strength,” Kang Zhi chuckled, his expression turning cold. “I’ve already ‘sent’ a letter to them, demanding they hand over Gu Changqing’s immediate relatives, whom we will then execute in the Gobi to serve as a warning!”
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