Zhang Yuanshan’s mind was in chaos, filled with the image of Qi Xia smiling as she introduced the Tang Clan’s flower techniques and various other skills at the “Samsara Plaza.” He had originally thought that if anyone were to dare expose the truth of the “Samsara World,” it would surely be either himself or Jiang Zhiwei, not Qi Xia, who seemingly had access to her longed-for dreams within the “Samsara World” and appeared to be on the verge of fulfilling her wishes.
Who would have thought that while he was still hesitating, she had already made up her mind. No, it seemed she had decided much earlier!
Could it be that her joy before and after the transaction was just an act?
No, it didn’t seem fake. Perhaps her joy couldn’t suppress her determination to escape danger!
As soon as Qi Xia spoke, Kongwen looked at her and intoned, “Amitabha Buddha. Lady Qi, please speak.”
“What do you know?” Daode, filled with anger at the true culprit, looked at Qi Xia, waiting for her to provide clues.
In an instant, Su Wuming, Xuan Yuanzi, Qi Yuantong, and others turned their gazes to Qi Xia. They couldn’t understand why Qi Xia, who lived several courtyards away from the Xuantian Sect’s courtyard, could have discovered something related to Qingjing’s death. What she might encounter while getting up at night, these martial experts would sense even in their sleep. Or to put it another way, anything capable of evading their senses wouldn’t be something a mere girl like Qi Xia, who hadn’t yet awakened her potential, could stumble upon by chance.
Zhang Yuanshan instinctively hid slightly behind his senior master Xuan Yuanzi, his left hand unconsciously tightening, while his right hand touched the hilt of his sword. The cold sensation slightly eased his inner anxiety, but his dry mouth and throat showed no sign of relief. He stole a glance at Jiang Zhiwei and saw her right hand also resting on her sword hilt.
After blurting out her words, Qi Xia had no room for retreat. She glanced at the elders and the “Arhat of Subduing Dragons,” Kongwen, secretly hoping that a master of her level could intimidate and stop the “Lord of the Six Realms.” Even if Abbot Kongwen himself were the mastermind, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he would protect her to avoid exposing himself, perhaps even personally escorting her back to the Dajiang Sect. Once back at the Dajiang Sect, her father and other elders, now alerted by her warning, would surely bring out the sect’s sacred weapon, the “Ocean-Treading and River-Turning Staff,” ensuring her safety.
“Reporting to the Abbot, both Qingjing and I were targeted by the Six…” Qi Xia organized her words, trying to raise the elders’ alertness as quickly as possible.
The word “Six” had barely left her lips when Qi Xia suddenly felt her heart pounding violently, thump-thump, thump-thump. A rush of blood surged to her head, making it swell, her throat dry and constricted, struggling to breathe.
Bang!
Qi Xia seemed to hear a crisp cracking sound from the void. Her vision turned red, vaguely seeing a large hand glowing with solemn Buddhist light, gently reaching out to save her, while a streak of sword light, like the azure sky from beyond the world, swiftly appeared, aiming at the empty space three inches behind her.
“The ‘Lord of the Six Realms’ actually dared to strike in front of a master of this level…”
“Pity they were a bit too late…”
With bitter, regretful, shocked, and unwilling emotions, Qi Xia sank into endless darkness, her body collapsing limply.
“Xia’er!” Qi Yuantong, like a white-haired fisherman from ancient poetry, cried out in sorrow, swiftly rushing forward to catch Qi Xia. His palm’s true energy poured into her body without restraint, but there was no response.
Jiang Zhiwei looked slightly bewildered and shocked, while Su Wuming sheathed his sword, his left hand stroking the blade, his half-closed eyes opening to reveal sharpness, though his expression remained unusually grave, filled with deep contemplation.
“Amitabha Buddha, this old monk arrived too late.” Kongwen clasped his hands together, the solemn and sacred Buddhist light gone from his face. For the first time, shock and bewilderment appeared on his usually calm expression.
Pretending to be caught off guard, arriving too late… Pretending to be caught off guard, arriving too late… Zhang Yuanshan’s mind was filled with thunderous explosions, a mixture of fear, relief, and self-reproach, unable to untangle his thoughts.
Suddenly, a realization struck him: “Wait, just now Abbot Kongwen didn’t even display his Arhat Golden Body. If he were truly acting as I suspected, pretending to be caught off guard and arriving too late, he should have tried his best at the end to prove his innocence. Yet he acted so perfunctorily. Perhaps, he really was caught off guard? Even I, who knew the truth, didn’t expect the ‘Lord of the Six Realms’ to strike so quickly, so ruthlessly, and so mysteriously…”
Looking at Qi Xia, lifeless in Qi Yuantong’s arms, Zhang Yuanshan felt as if his heart were being squeezed by a giant hand, heavy with grief and almost unable to breathe.
Others who failed to rescue her included Daode. He first glared angrily at Kongwen, seemingly about to reprimand him for his half-hearted effort and suspicion of collusion with the real culprit. But his expression changed a few times, as if recalling something, and he gradually calmed down. Xuan Yuanzi, Qi Yuantong, and others also did not step forward.
“Venerable masters, what happened to Lady Qi just now reminded this old monk of several similar incidents,” Kongwen spoke slowly. “This old monk was negligent at the time, failing to connect Qingjing’s case with these incidents, otherwise Lady Qi might have been saved.”
Several similar incidents? Zhang Yuanshan felt that tonight had brought too much for him to bear. He looked at Kongwen with tension and shock, not surprised to find Jiang Zhiwei mirroring his expression and actions.
Fortunately, others had similar reactions, so the two of them weren’t too conspicuous.
“We would like to hear more details,” Xuan Yuanzi bowed, and Qi Yuantong, with slightly bloodshot eyes, also looked toward Kongwen.
Kongwen sighed: “I wonder if any of you have heard of the mysterious organization ‘Xianji’? Members who attempt to leak internal secrets within this organization always meet with mysterious deaths, just like Lady Qi. I suspect there might be some kind of curse within their bodies that, once triggered, can summon forces from the void.”
“Xianji? I once encountered a member of theirs called ‘Doumu Yuanyun,’ and nearly lost my life,” Xuan Yuanzi said with self-mockery. “But I have never captured any of their members, nor have I seen such mysterious deaths.”
“What? You nearly lost your life? And who is this ‘Doumu Yuanyun’?” Daode, with his quick temper, asked in disbelief.
Xuan Yuanzi was the head of the Wuzhen Sect’s daily affairs. Although not among the top masters within the sect, he was still a well-known figure on the Earth List, with strength comparable to Daode. For him to be defeated by a master from an unknown organization was hard to accept.
“From what this old monk knows, ‘Xianji’ has very few official members, no more than twenty in total. Each uses the name of a famous Taoist or immortal from ancient mythology, concealing their real names. ‘Doumu Yuanyun’ is one of them,” Kongwen explained to those unfamiliar with the ‘Xianji’ organization.
Xuan Yuanzi smiled bitterly and shook his head: “The Abbot indeed knows more than I do. I encountered ‘Doumu Yuanyun’ by chance, engaged in a fierce battle, and barely escaped. Apart from knowing the name ‘Xianji’ and the opponent’s title, I found out nothing else. Moreover, ten years ago, ‘Doumu Yuanyun’ should have already reached the peak of the ‘External Scenery’ realm.”
“Using titles of immortals and deities, concealing real names? How could there be so many nameless masters in this world! It must be some ambitious individuals from various sects secretly uniting to form this organization! Xuan Yuanzi, could you identify the martial arts background of ‘Doumu Yuanyun’?” Daode snorted, unwilling to believe that so many masters could remain unknown, apart from their ‘Xianji’ codenames. They must have other prominent identities in the martial arts world!
Therefore, he still suspected that there was an informant within the Shaolin Temple!
Xuan Yuanzi chuckled: “If I could identify it, I would have traced it back to the source long ago. Our ‘Zhenwu Sect’ follows the lineage of the Great Zhenwu Emperor and is not so easily bullied. The martial arts used by ‘Doumu Yuanyun’ seemed to be the ultimate technique ‘Star God’s Descent Manual’ of the ‘Mother of All Stars’ from the mythological era. However, both ‘Primordial Unity’ and ‘Reversion to Emptiness’ have been lost for tens of thousands of years. How would I know who accidentally obtained the inheritance?”
“Primordial Unity… Star God’s Descent Manual…” Zhang Yuanshan’s face turned slightly pale, as he recalled that these two divine techniques were listed on the ‘Lord of the Six Realms’ exchange chart, worth 500,000 and 80,000 merits respectively. “Could this ‘Xianji’ organization indeed have some connection with the ‘Samsara World’?”
Daode circled around Qi Yuantong once, nodding slightly: “A mysterious force erupted from within, connecting with the forces from the void. Indeed, it is beyond the capability of ordinary people. But since there are curses or similar traces within the body, we can start by investigating each other.”
Just as Zhang Yuanshan’s hair stood on end, Jiang Zhiwei’s companion, Su Wuming, spoke up: “Such traces are deeply hidden. Without understanding their origin and adopting targeted methods, it would be difficult to detect any clues.”
“Su Wuming, speculation cannot replace action,” Daode, now emboldened, was unafraid of Su Wuming.
“Master Su’s words are indeed wise. This old monk, with some understanding and preparation, searched the ‘Xianji’ member ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable’ but found no hidden traces…” Kongwen briefly recounted his encounters with the ‘Xianji’ organization and then looked at Su Wuming, “Master Su seems to have had similar experiences?”
Su Wuming replied calmly: “I encountered an organization called ‘Myth,’ similar to ‘Xianji,’ but their mortal enemies, using titles of ancient deities.”
“Master Su, did you gain any insights?” As everyone was shocked by the existence of another mysterious organization, Kongwen asked with concern.
Su Wuming maintained his composed demeanor: “The ‘Dongwanggong’ I encountered was quite formidable, and I couldn’t hold back.”
So, he had already returned to dust and earth? Many young disciples were sweating.
“And the corpse mysteriously self-destructed,” Su Wuming continued.
Kongwen sighed: “With this old monk watching, the corpse of ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable’ did not get destroyed. His true identity was extraordinary, and I will share the details with you all later.”
With many people around, it was inconvenient to delve deeper into the discussion.
“Whether it’s ‘Xianji’ or ‘Myth,’ they are both shrouded in mystery and secrecy, undoubtedly harboring hidden schemes. I propose that all sects join forces to thoroughly investigate this matter!” Daode’s voice rang out loudly.
Kongwen nodded and took back the nine-ringed staff: “In the future, if there are any findings, Shaolin will be willing to share with all sects.”
“The Xuantian Sect agrees as well,” Daode readily accepted and turned to Qi Yuantong, “Please, Brother Qi, search through your daughter’s belongings to see if there are any discoveries.”
Qi Yuantong, his face dark with anger, nodded and unsurprisingly found the method of crafting the “Tang Flower.” Then, clenching his teeth, he said, “There is no such hidden weapon within our Dajiang Sect. Hmph! I will surely slay these vermin from ‘Xianji’ and ‘Myth’ to honor Xia’er!”
The unfamiliar technique of crafting hidden weapons made him think of the long-lost “Star God’s Descent Manual” mentioned by Xuan Yuanzi, further convincing him that his beloved daughter’s death was connected to these two mysterious organizations.
Xuan Yuanzi glanced at the disciples behind the various sect masters: “Given the gravity of the matter, I request that everyone restrain their disciples and not let this information leak.”
Those present in the Grand Hall were all future elites of their respective sects, with certain qualifications to know of such matters. Therefore, he merely asked them not to disclose it casually.
“Yes, Senior Master,” Zhang Yuanshan replied promptly, with the other disciples also nodding in agreement.
After the leaders had a secret discussion in the back of the hall and returned, Zhang Yuanshan followed Xuan Yuanzi out of the Grand Hall, heading toward their guest quarters.
All the way, he was troubled and perplexed by the events of just now.
As they walked, he heard his senior master Xuan Yuanzi sigh softly.
This sigh acted like a trigger, unleashing the doubts hidden deep within Zhang Yuanshan’s heart. He quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice: “Senior Master, why didn’t you question Abbot Kongwen? He didn’t use his full strength to save Senior Sister Qi. He didn’t even display his Arhat Golden Body.”
At least not the “Golden Body” he had read about in various texts!
Xuan Yuanzi smiled slightly, praising, “You’ve observed keenly and paid attention to the smallest details.”
Then, he looked toward the sky, half wistful and half reflective, saying: “The rumors are indeed not false.”
Huh? Zhang Yuanshan looked at Xuan Yuanzi in confusion, but Xuan Yuanzi showed no intention of explaining further, shaking his head to indicate he shouldn’t ask more.
The night was as cool as water, fine snowflakes drifting down as the sky began to brighten.
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