Chapter 157: Suppression

Meng Qi placed his hand on his long sword, took a step forward, and floated away from the small boat like a willow fluff in the wind, leaving in a calm and natural manner onto the pier.

His pace was unhurried as he slowly approached the man from Luo Sect dressed in black without a mask, appearing to be in full control of the situation.

This man from Luo Sect was middle-aged with ordinary features. The only memorable trait was his thin lips. The closer Meng Qi got, the more he could sense a faint divine pressure, clearly indicating that the celestial oddity was in the man’s arms.

“Since parting with Miss Xiao Sang at the Demon’s Tomb, I have missed her dearly. Her voice, smile, and demeanor remain vivid in my mind. I wonder if she has successfully mastered the Demon Lord’s ultimate technique? I am truly disappointed not to have received this inheritance,” Meng Qi said leisurely, his tone unhurried.

Gu Xiao Sang was skilled at sowing discord, but Meng Qi could do the same!

Gu Xiao Sang likely wouldn’t tell others about the Demon’s Tomb. Meng Qi had already reported the matter to his master, bore no trace of the Demon Lord’s aura, and had a low profile, wandering alone with his sword, so there was no fear of leaking information. Even if this Luo Sect man were to die by Meng Qi’s hand, Hua Lun would spread the news, planting seeds of suspicion between the Luo Sect’s Holy Maiden, the Dharma King, and the Divine Envoy. Even if the effect wasn’t immediate, it would still mark the first step in Meng Qi’s retaliation against Gu Xiao Sang.

Moreover, by revealing such detailed information and exposing such a major secret, Meng Qi made the situation seem authentic. This would cause the Luo Sect man before him to instinctively believe that Meng Qi had indeed gone to the Demon’s Tomb with Gu Xiao Sang and competed for the Demon Lord’s inheritance, even if he had failed. However, escaping from the “Great Luo Demon Girl,” ranked fourth on the Human List, implied that Meng Qi’s cultivation and strength were comparable.

The Luo Sect man clenched his fists tightly, watching the elegant young man in green robes approach slowly, speaking calmly and politely. Combined with the river breeze and bright moonlight, the rippling water created a serene atmosphere. This gave the impression that the young man was supremely confident, in full control of the situation, and not in a hurry to attack.

He was an old acquaintance of the Holy Maiden, a fellow high-level expert, so such behavior was entirely normal!

But compared to the Holy Maiden, he was far inferior. What did he have to oppose this swordsman at his level?

Meng Qi walked slowly with his sword, each step seemingly casual, like strolling in a courtyard. Yet in the eyes of the Luo Sect man, it felt as though each step landed on his heart, matching the rhythm of his heartbeat, boom, boom, boom, boom, increasing the pressure until cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Suddenly, he heard a faint breathing sound and realized there were other enemies hiding on the large ship. Panic surged within him—he had already fallen into a trap. The reason others weren’t attacking was because this young man was confident enough in his abilities to easily defeat him alone!

Following Meng Qi’s instructions, Hua Lun on the large ship deliberately did not use the secret technique to conceal his breath, exposing his position to add pressure on the Luo Sect man. Watching Meng Qi approach the enemy unhurriedly, his robes fluttering in the wind, his face as smooth as jade, and his demeanor outstanding, while the opponent seemed to face a great enemy, both fearful of attacking first and afraid to flee, Hua Lun felt as though Meng Qi’s aura had become tangible, truly suppressing the other side.

“What a true master’s demeanor!” Hua Lun sincerely praised. “No wonder he could escape from the Great Luo Demon Girl. Young Master Meng will surely rise to the Human List one day…”

Gu Xiaosang’s reputation was renowned, her combat record impressive, and she had inherited the True Intent of a Quasi-Spirit Body. Hua Lun didn’t believe that Meng Qi, whose cultivation was only at the fourth to sixth apertures level, could match her. However, surviving her attack indicated that Meng Qi’s strength was extraordinary, possibly approaching the lower ranks of the Human List.

But precisely because Gu Xiao Sang was so powerful, Hua Lun had no doubts that Meng Qi had benefited from the Demon’s Tomb—his survival itself was the greatest benefit!

Moreover, if Meng Qi had indeed encountered something extraordinary in the Demon’s Tomb, would he publicize it? Wouldn’t everyone keep such secrets tightly guarded?

Meng Qi drew his long sword, lightly flicked it, producing a sound like a dragon’s roar, and smiled gently. “Miss Xiao Sang’s ‘Wuxiang Finger’ and ‘Thousand Threads and Ten Thousand Nets’ left a deep impression on me. I wonder if you are familiar with them? I would like to test them again.”

The Luo Sect man’s pupils slightly constricted, and he unconsciously assumed a defensive posture. He had indeed fought against the Holy Maiden!

The Holy Maiden’s mastery of the ‘Wuxiang Finger’ was widely known due to the Human List circulated by the Six Doors. However, the ‘Thousand Threads and Ten Thousand Nets’ was a secret known only to those above the Void Envoy level within the sect!

And after fighting the Holy Maiden, he was still alive!

Boom, boom, boom! Watching Meng Qi approach like a spring day stroll along the embankment, the Luo Sect man once again felt as though each step tightened his heart.

Boom, boom, boom! The young man in green robes stood out with his graceful demeanor, like an immortal prince. He inhaled deeply, suppressed his fear, and decided to give it his all, launching an attack first to seize a sliver of survival!

With a loud shout, his figure lunged forward, his steps strangely interwoven, and his right fist struck out with seemingly no strength.

This punch appeared weak, yet it gave Meng Qi the feeling of a gentle stream flowing endlessly, soft water without form!

“Stream Merges into River,” “All Rivers Flow into the Sea”—the punch changed twice midway, culminating in a torrential river, continuous and unceasing, like water that does not contend yet excels, unstoppable!

Watching this punch from afar, Hua Lun’s eyebrows furrowed, his gaze fixed, both surprised and astonished. Even someone outside the range of the battle could feel the charm of streams merging into rivers and rivers rushing into the sea, indicating that this mysterious martial art belonged to the Outer Scenery category and had already reached a moderate level of mastery. Only one step remained before it could unleash its martial intent!

Even so, it was rich in meaning and formidable in power.

No wonder the Luo Sect was one of the nine evil sects. Even a disciple sent to capture an ordinary oddity possessed such formidable strength! Not only had he unlocked all seven apertures, but he had also attained a proficient mastery of an Outer Scenery martial art!

Could Young Master Meng withstand this?

Facing this punch, Meng Qi remained calm. Under normal circumstances, he would have to give it his all, drawing the Red Sun Evil-Repelling Blade and using the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade Technique to counter the punch, then retaliating with the Yama Note to kill the opponent.

But now, with the pressure of his aura, in the “mental” duel, his opponent was clearly at a disadvantage, with a flaw in his heart. This punch, an aggressive move, clashed with the “non-contention” charm, exposing a flaw that should not have existed!

Instead of retreating, Meng Qi advanced, stepping diagonally to meet the punch, raising his sword.

This sight shocked and worried Hua Lun. Facing such a terrifying martial art, Meng Qi still wanted to attack.

A flash of sword light appeared, bright and pure, containing a solemn aura of death, as if flying from the Netherworld, flashing and vanishing!

Hualun suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming with a mix of astonishment and exhilaration. Was this the ultimate form of the Meridian-Opening Sword Technique?

The sword light disappeared, and Meng Qi landed beside the Luo Sect man, sheathed his sword, and stood with his hands behind his back.

The Luo Sect man seemed not to see him, brushing past him, running forward a few steps before suddenly collapsing, blood flowing from his head, staining the dust red.

“Pressure from the aura, heart-to-heart confrontation, and mental battle indeed had an effect…” Meng Qi, like a lonely master, gazed at the bright moon in the sky with a sense of deep emotion, feeling that he had finally stepped into this realm.

Hualun was equally silent, standing dazedly on the deck, utterly unprepared for the fact that an enemy capable of unleashing such terrifying martial arts couldn’t withstand even a single sword strike from Young Master Meng. In that case, Huang Yun was certainly no match for him, and only Zhang Zhihuan, the “Blazing Sun Divine Palm,” might have a fighting chance.

After a while, Meng Qi grew a bit tired of striking a pose and turned to Hua Lun with a smile. “Master Hua, please check if the oddity is still there?”

Hua Lun nodded blankly, jumped off the large ship, and quickly walked to the Luo Sect man, knelt down, and searched him, retrieving the celestial oddity.

“It’s the oddity.” Hua Lun stepped back, indicating that the other items on the Luo Sect man belonged to Young Master Meng.

Shouldn’t you search him carefully and present it with both hands? It’s beneath a master’s dignity to loot the corpse himself! Meng Qi muttered inwardly but still squatted down to seek his spoils.

Bad luck today… Meng Qi thought mournfully. This fellow had come to seize the oddity, so naturally wouldn’t carry any secret manuals when leaving home. Being skilled in boxing, he had no sharp weapons. Besides some silver coins, he only carried ordinary darts, not considered sharp weapons, and a bottle that seemed to contain a drug.

Meng Qi picked up the drug and the ordinary darts and put them into his robe with a sigh. Better than nothing.

Hua Lun stepped forward, handing the celestial oddity to Meng Qi. “This matter was entirely due to Master Meng’s sword assistance. Please accept the oddity and contemplate it for three days.”

At this point, he felt there was no need to consult his father.

An easy gain and his “labor reward,” Meng Qi naturally would not refuse with false modesty. Thus, he extended his right hand to receive the oddity, instinctively releasing his spiritual sense to inspect it.

As his spiritual sense touched the oddity, Meng Qi felt a suction force. Just as he was about to withdraw, a purple lightning mark on the back of his left hand, hidden behind his back, automatically emerged. The suction force of the oddity suddenly intensified, becoming fierce and powerful, instantly pulling all of Meng Qi’s spiritual sense into it!

“What’s going on?” Meng Qi was astonished. Before his eyes appeared a world of wildly dancing lightning, with cyan lightning, purple lightning, and chaotic indescribable lightning too numerous to count. Just seeing them caused a splitting headache and a racing heart.

The lightning parted, and a man emerged. His long hair flew wildly, his figure resembling a giant, his face indistinct, but his body was muscular and covered with various lightning scars, as if his entire body were composed of lightning.

He raised a long spear entwined with purple electricity and suddenly slashed diagonally, like a spear striking like a sword, a series of lightning bolts emerging from the void, splitting the chaos.

One after another, vague worlds appeared, only to be destroyed under the spear’s lightning. An apocalyptic atmosphere spread, directly shattering Meng Qi’s spiritual sense that had entered.

The scenery returned to normal. Hua Lun was scanning the surroundings, preventing any other enemies. Meng Qi felt a splitting headache, the incomplete techniques he had just acquired continuously evolving in his mind.

Due to the incompleteness of the techniques, Meng Qi only remembered a few changes and a sound like thunder: “‘Shenxiao Jiulie,’ ‘Tian Da Wulei Hong’!”

…

In the deep mountains shrouded in mist, in a place that seemed not of this world, within a hall where a pitch-black long sword was enshrined.

The sword suddenly glowed, flashing with lightning, its entire body seemingly forged from purple lightning. Amidst the flickering and fading lightning, countless worlds could be vaguely seen.

Inside the hall, a woman in white gauze sat in meditation, her demeanor elegant and ethereal like a fairy. Startled by the sword, she gazed intently at it for a long time. When the sword finally calmed down, she thoughtfully murmured, “Has the heir of the Thunder God appeared?”

…

“This is the blood of the Thunder God from the Mythical Era…” Meng Qi suddenly realized.

The celestial oddity seemed unchanged, but Meng Qi knew only a few traces remained inside. The truly core essence, the incomplete true intent that Hua Lun and others couldn’t obtain, had been absorbed by himself, who bore the Thunder God’s mark.

“The blood of the Thunder God… The Luo Sect wanted to seize it… This person is probably sent by the demon girl Gu…” Combining the events at the Demon’s Tomb and the Celestial Court, Meng Qi speculated thoughtfully.

Although the Luo Sect had a large following, Gu Xiaosang wouldn’t personally attend to every matter. However, once the news reached her, she might very well come in person. Given Jiang Zhiwei’s capability to challenge a ninth-aperture expert with only sixth-aperture cultivation, Gu Xiaosang, who was likely at the eighth or even ninth-aperture level, would find it effortless to eliminate individuals like Hua Tiange and Ning Jidao. Unless he alerted the True Sect and arranged an ambush with an Outer Scenery expert, but considering his current identity and the fact that he had obtained a portion of the Thunder God’s legacy, the current amicable relations between the Zhenwu Sect and Shaolin made this approach inappropriate…

Meng Qi’s expression turned serious. He bowed to Hua Lun and said, “I still have important matters to attend to. I must take my leave now. There’s no need to look at the oddity anymore.”