As Meng Qi was immersed in complicated emotions, the Master of the Sixfold Path of Reincarnation continued without pause: “Main Quest: Survive.”
“Surviving until the eighth day will allow your return, and each survivor will be rewarded with one thousand Virtue Points.”
“This quest has no rating, and each survivor will be rewarded with a Reincarnation Talisman.”
A Reincarnation Talisman? This was exactly what Meng Qi had longed for. With it, he could take the first step toward the linked task of the Great Emperor Zhenwu!
The reward for this deadly mission is indeed generous… he couldn’t help but exclaim. The more generous the reward, the greater the danger!
“Journey to the West?” Jiang Zhiwei lightly furrowed her brows.
Meng Qi’s heart skipped a beat: “Zhiwei, have you heard of the Journey to the West?”
“No,” Jiang Zhiwei shook her head normally, “I just find it strange. Why would the Master of the Six Paths of Reincarnation introduce the Journey to the West? It happened eight hundred years ago and should have nothing to do with our current mission.”
Zhang Yuanshan nodded in agreement: “What Master Jiang said makes sense. Based on past conventions, the introduced world scenarios are all related to the main quest. For this ‘Survive’ mission, simply describing the chaos caused by demons in the human world would have been enough. Discussing the Journey to the West from eight hundred years ago seems unnecessary.”
“Perhaps the aftermath of the Journey to the West involves many side quests…” Luo Shengyi, who had the most experience with tasks, mused thoughtfully.
Seeing that none of them knew about the Journey to the West, and the current main quest seemed unrelated to its specific events, Meng Qi suppressed his doubts and said solemnly, “We only have a quarter of an hour. We must prepare quickly.”
The preparations needed were self-evident—demons were causing chaos in the human world, and they must eliminate them to protect themselves!
Everyone nodded in agreement and walked together to the central light column, exchanging their gains from the past year for Virtue Points.
Apart from the “transformed” Purple Sorrow belt, Meng Qi had the Ghost Shadow Sword, the Evil God’s Eye, and several saber technique manuals he had openly purchased under the pretext of refining his swordsmanship in Ye—selling one Jiangdong land deed and one Shendu house deed for this purpose.
Other companions also had substantial gains. For example, Jiang Zhiwei held two sharp weapons and a heart-shaped object that looked like neither gold nor wood.
“Zhiwei, what is this?” Meng Qi asked curiously.
Jiang Zhiwei smiled and said, “The ‘Heart’ of the Mindless Warrior.”
Seeing Meng Qi’s surprise, she explained, “The Perfumed Teaching has unique cultivation techniques, combining martial arts, spiritism, ghost arts, heterodox Buddhism, and ancient witchcraft. The Mindless Warrior, though called ‘Mindless,’ actually transforms the ‘heart’ into something godlike, wandering within the body. If one cannot extract this heart, the warrior can only be severely wounded, and even a shattered skull can turn him into a walking corpse.”
As she spoke, Jiang Zhiwei exchanged the Mindless Warrior’s “Heart” for Virtue Points—exactly six hundred. This made Meng Qi envious. Adding the two sharp weapons, she had a total of nine hundred and twenty Virtue Points.
Just as he was about to speak, Meng Qi saw Ruan Yushu magically pulling out one manual after another and items resembling sharp weapons from her body.
“So much…” Meng Qi was stunned.
Ruan Yushu’s long hair was casually draped as she slightly lifted her head: “Accumulated gifts.”
A total of more than ten items, adding up to one thousand three hundred Virtue Points altogether.
Rich girl… Meng Qi muttered inwardly.
Zhang Yuanshan had officially left the mountain to travel and deliberately collected items, accumulating eight hundred and thirty Virtue Points. Fu Zhenzhen also performed quite well. Although she found few manuals for opening the energy points, she excelled in refining pills and concocting poisons. Since many poisons would be ineffective against the demon clans in the current mission, she simply discarded them all to the Master of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, totaling eight hundred and ninety Virtue Points—even more than Zhang Yuanshan.
Over the past year, Luo Shengyi spent most of his time opening the nine orifices. As a wandering cultivator, his life was quite challenging, so he only accumulated six hundred and ten Virtue Points. Ge Huaien had even fewer, with just four hundred and thirty.
Qi Zhengyan, taking advantage of the convenience in Ye and with Meng Qi’s help, plus his remaining points, totaled six hundred and fifty Virtue Points.
Meng Qi first kept the Evil God’s Eye, then threw the Ghost Shadow Sword and several saber technique manuals into the light column, gaining six hundred and seventy Virtue Points.
Then he placed the Evil God’s Eye into the column and requested an appraisal—he originally planned to find a treasure pavilion or similar place in Ye to determine the Evil God’s Eye’s use, to see if he could create something usable without refining it through the Master of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. However, he spent the first half of the year focusing on refining his skills, waiting for Qi Zhengyan to exchange the gems for banknotes. In the second half, he became the widely recognized saber-crazed figure in Ye, and taking out the Evil God’s Eye would easily connect him with the Gentleman’s Sword, so he had to wait until now.
“Evil Spirit’s Eye, a precious material formed by an immature Evil God, can be directly refined into the forehead as a third eye, possessing the ability to perceive the void. It can unleash the ‘Soul-Cleansing Divine Light,’ but it will cause evil qi to enter the brain, invade the Yuan Shen, and cause constant headaches, leading to extremes, bloodthirst, and cruelty. It can also be combined with related materials to forge a ‘Spirit-Piercing Eye,’ usable twice, attacking the Yuan Shen with half-step external scene level power, worth five hundred and sixty Virtue Points.”
Meng Qi inhaled lightly, somewhat hesitant. He definitely didn’t want to become bloodthirsty and cruel. He was mainly considering whether to forge it into a “Spirit-Piercing Eye” or exchange it for Virtue Points.
Attacking the Primordial Spirit would certainly be effective against the demon race as well, and at the half-step external scene level… Meng Qi spent ten Virtue Points to inquire about related materials.
“Requires Luohun Wood, Yangcao… totaling ninety Virtue Points.” The related materials were surprisingly cheap, a bit unexpected for Meng Qi, but he quickly understood, after all, the main material was the “Evil Spirit’s Eye.”
“If forging the ‘Spirit-Piercing Eye,’ an additional two hundred and thirty Virtue Points are required.”
Seeing the total Virtue Points required, Meng Qi grew even more hesitant. Although he had cultivated for a long time under the Relic Stupa and had resistance to demonic energy—eliminating the need for additional preparations—ordinary healing pills were already taken care of by Fu Zhenzhen, so he didn’t need to exchange for them himself. However, he desired a Great Rejuvenation Pill; in this life-or-death mission, it would be equivalent to having an extra life!
Therefore, his Virtue Points were insufficient…
“Still short of one hundred and sixty Virtue Points…” Meng Qi considered giving up on the “Spirit-Piercing Eye,” after all, he still had Purple Sorrow on his body and Thunder Marks attached.
“Short of Virtue Points?” Jiang Zhiwei saw Meng Qi’s hesitation and smiled, asking.
Meng Qi lightly nodded but didn’t mention the amount, as it was quite a lot. This wasn’t like before, where borrowing a few dozen Virtue Points was no big deal.
“How much?” Jiang Zhiwei asked carelessly.
Seeing her determined gaze, Meng Qi inhaled: “One hundred and sixty Virtue Points.”
“I’ll just exchange for a Great Rejuvenation Pill, the rest can rely on Zhenzhen. I’ll lend you the rest…” Here, Meng Qi paused, as if making a decision, and declared loudly, “Regarding this deadly mission, I have a proposal.”
“What?” Everyone was considering what to exchange and looked at Jiang Zhiwei upon hearing her words.
Jiang Zhiwei’s expression was resolute, neither overbearing nor pleading: “With demons wreaking havoc in the mortal world, there will inevitably be demonic creatures at the half-step External Scene or External Scene level. Our individual Virtue Points are limited. If we exchange separately, we won’t be able to obtain good items, and the effects may be unsatisfactory. I suggest each of us exchanges for a Great Rejuvenation Pill as a life-saving measure, then pools our Virtue Points to acquire two or three precious items capable of countering demonic creatures. If anyone lacks sufficient Virtue Points to exchange for a Great Rejuvenation Pill, I will cover the difference—no need for repayment.”
Facing the deadly mission, she was very generous and calm.
“I have a borrowed treasure weapon,” Meng Qi took this opportunity to mention, to avoid repeated exchanges. He fully supported Jiang Zhiwei’s proposal. In a deadly mission, better to wound ten fingers than break one!
A borrowed treasure weapon… Luo Shengyi looked at Meng Qi, surprised that he could even borrow a treasure weapon?
He hesitated slightly and said, “I have no objection.”
He had initially intended to trade for a Great Rejuvenation Pill to save his life, but with just over a hundred Virtue Points remaining, the most he could obtain were some items to counteract demonic energy. However, given his strength at the Nine Apertures level, they wouldn’t be of much use.
Ge Huai’en, who couldn’t even afford a Great Rejuvenation Pill, was even less likely to object.
Zhang Yuanshan was always steady in his dealings and had a sense of the big picture. He nodded slightly and said, “This is best, but the exchanged items should be placed on Ruan girl and Zhenzhen. One, because their close combat is insufficient, and two, because they have the most Virtue Points.”
He had a bit of self-interest, but his reasoning was sound. For team members like Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei, and himself who engaged in direct combat, even if they had items that could counter demons, they might not have the opportunity to use them when entangled with enemies. Besides, Ruan Yushu had over a thousand Virtue Points. If the final exchanged items weren’t in her hands, how would she feel?
Fu Zhenzhen was responsible for everyone’s healing and corresponding pills, and she had actually spent more Virtue Points, so naturally, she should be given priority.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Meng Qi agreed.
Jiang Zhiwei nodded slightly: “That makes sense.”
The rest of the group did not object. Ruan Yushu, her expression still cold and unchanged, simply said, “Fine.”
Meng Qi was in no hurry to exchange for the Evil God’s Eye. After obtaining a Great Rejuvenation Pill, he gave all his remaining Virtue Points to Ruan Yushu. In the end, the group pooled a total of two thousand three hundred and forty-one Virtue Points and swiftly browsed through the exchange list to select two or three items that could effectively counter demonic creatures.
Time was pressing, and they quickly made their decision:
“Fake Mirror of Revealing Demons, a treasure-level artifact, imitating the ancient divine weapon Mirror of Revealing Demons. When it shines on them, all demonic creatures below the External Scene level will be revealed in their true form, losing their powers. For demonic creatures at the External Scene level, depending on their strength, they will be immobilized for one to three breaths. It can be used three times, worth one thousand two hundred Virtue Points.”
The Evil-Piercing Arrow, a treasure-grade artifact, can penetrate the demonic aura and bodies of demonic creatures at the External Scene level, inflicting significant damage. Half-step External Scene demonic creatures will be severely injured, while those below that level will be utterly defenseless. As it is a single-use item, it is valued at nine hundred Virtue Points.
Noticing that he still had 241 Virtue Points remaining—just 79 short of forging the “Spirit-Piercing Eye”—Meng Qi exchanged all his miscellaneous items, such as sedatives and darts. Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, Fu Zhenzhen, Qi Zhengyan, and Ruan Yushu each contributed some of their own miscellaneous items, finally making up the difference. Otherwise, Mèng Qí would have had to exchange for the “Net of Heaven and Earth” and the Seven Stars Begonia Candle instead.
The light column swirled and steamed. Meng Qi’s hand held a strange eye. It was entirely black, deep and dark, embedded in a piece of green wood, like a pendant.
Thinking he already had Purple Sorrow, he handed the “Spirit-Piercing Eye” to Ge Huai’en for safekeeping. Fu Zhenzhen got the Mirror of Revealing Demons, and Ruan Yushu took the Evil-Piercing Arrow.
After exchanging for these items, there was little time left. Everyone quietly waited for the mission to begin.
The light column fell, and Meng Qi and the others’ vision blurred. They had already changed positions.
This was a meditation hall, but it was very dilapidated. The floor tiles were broken, with clusters of weeds growing through them. The golden paint on the Buddha statues was peeling, and they had fallen to the ground, breaking into several pieces.
Its head bore a compassionate smile, rolling near the edge of the room, looking at Meng Qi and the others.
…
Above the Thirty-Three Heavens, in a divine realm, celestial birds flew about, and spiritual springs gushed forth. Everywhere there were spiritual herbs, and strange flowers bloomed on the ground.
They surrounded an ordinary palace, with three indescribable characters written on it:
“Laozi’s Palace.”
Inside the palace, the Eight Trigrams Furnace was stably placed over a fire, and an old Daoist in robes sat with his eyes closed in front of it. Two boys dressed in golden and silver Daoist robes fanned the fire and watched the furnace.
Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes and looked downward.
“Master, there is something unusual in the Western Continent?” the boy in golden robes asked in surprise.
The old man with white hair and a youthful face shook his head: “No matter, let them be.”
He closed his eyes again, pointed his hand, and the Eight Trigrams Furnace opened. A beam of light shot up into the Milky Way, covering a star.
The star gradually fell, resembling a fiery sun. It was terrifyingly hot, huge enough to fill the four major continents. The surrounding space twisted and collapsed, as if golden crows were flying about inside.
The two boys were trembling under the terrifying pressure, yet the “sun” could not escape the light. It became smaller and closer, directly falling into the furnace.
The Daoist in robes pointed again, the furnace lid closed, and inside was silent.
His eyes remained closed, neither sorrowful nor joyful, as if nothing else could disturb him, unchanged for hundreds, thousands, or even ten thousand years.
“This pill has been refining for six hundred and twenty-seven years…” the boy in silver robes exhaled lightly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage