Chapter 294: Harvest

The tomb door was tightly sealed, with a faint chill in the air that crept deep into one’s heart. A massive pressure, greater than a mountain, descended from above, dimming the lights within the main burial chamber.

“Did opening the coffin allow the ‘evil spirit’ to partially break free from its suppression, or did it trigger the tomb’s overall seal?”

Such thoughts naturally arose in Meng Qi and the others’ minds, as if they had been cut off from the outside world.

They exchanged glances, without hesitation choosing to return early, since the initial mission within the False Tomb of Zhenwu had already been completed.

If they attempted to find their way out and encountered the former scenario, it would be extremely dangerous. If it was the latter, they wouldn’t even be able to escape. Remaining trapped within the mausoleum for a month would be akin to death, which was detrimental to cultivation.

A faint blue light suddenly illuminated the air, and Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei, and others vanished from the main burial chamber.

A hazy column of light descended, enveloping Meng Qi. Suddenly, he felt a chill as wisps of black mist seeped from his body.

The black mist vanished like snow under the sun, accompanied by a faint scream: “It is…”

Meng Qi was greatly startled. When had he been possessed by the evil spirit’s aura? It had happened so subtly that even the lamp before the Buddha hadn’t given any warning. Without the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation, this would have been extremely dangerous.

Thinking about it, the lamp before the Buddha was nearly destroyed, and the evil spirit was originally a fragment of malevolence from the Zhenwu Emperor. It wasn’t surprising that it could achieve such subtlety.

Besides this, Meng Qi wasn’t injured. After the black mist dissipated, the “seed” of yang vitality and vitality condensed within him unraveled, the column of light receded, and he saw Jiang Zhiwei and the others.

“Just now, we were possessed by the evil spirit’s aura,” Jiang Zhiwei’s expression was slightly grave, though not overly anxious, merely a bit fearful in hindsight, as the evil spirit had already been removed by the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation.

“Thank goodness for the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation,” Meng Qi sighed. Truly, it was an extraordinary being, specializing in curing difficult and complex ailments.

At this moment, the calm and steady voice of the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation rang out: “The False Tomb of Zhenwu mission has ended early. Do you choose to leave, or stay here to cultivate and complete the remaining time of the Reincarnation Talisman?”

Ah, what a fortunate turn of events! Meng Qi and the others unanimously chose cultivation.

“This mission was indeed very brief,” Jiang Zhiwei was the first to recover from the lingering fear of being possessed by the evil spirit.

With ample time, they didn’t rush to exchange their rewards.

Meng Qi sucked his teeth: “The first step of this chain mission is relatively simple, with low rewards and low danger. Although there were unexpected developments, it still largely followed this pattern.”

“Yes, if we didn’t have the Heaven-Shaking and Earth-Shattering Method, perhaps we would have proceeded more smoothly and without tension. The real danger was the silent possession by the evil spirit. But with the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation, we don’t need to worry,” Jiang Zhiwei nodded in agreement.

If Meng Qi hadn’t attempted the Heaven-Shaking and Earth-Shattering Method, the evil spirit wouldn’t even have appeared, and the same goes for Huangfu Tao, who was at the level of an external scene cultivator. The only challenges they would have faced were the living dead like Huang Gang, who were close to the strength of a half-step external scene practitioner. Meng Qi alone could have handled them, or, at the very least, with the black fur obtained initially, they could have completed the mission together, fitting the concept of the first step of a chain mission.

Ruan Yushu’s expression was calm, occasionally glancing at her shoulder, as if afraid another evil spirit might suddenly emerge: “Even with the changes caused by the Heaven-Shaking and Earth-Shattering Method, there wasn’t much danger or tension.”

Except for the fact that the evil spirit was a bit frightening…

“Yes, it felt strange, the sense of tension came and went,” Qi Zhengyan exhaled without much expression.

Indeed, all along the way, their sense of tension had just begun to rise before it quickly dissipated, completely lacking the oppressive and fearful feelings one would expect within the mausoleum of the Zhenwu Emperor.

For example, upon discovering zombies close to the half-step external scene level, they immediately recognized them as similar to the Deathless Sect, knowing the Heaven-Shaking and Earth-Shattering Method could counter them; upon seeing the ghost’s message here, they soon discovered the Dragon-Subduing Platform, deducing the evil spirit was being suppressed; upon encountering external scene living dead, they quickly sensed restraint, realizing the opponent was holding back and even guiding them; when their memories weakened in the fog, they received timely reminders and confirmed the evil spirit couldn’t act personally.

Coupled with the ability to return at any time, the only truly tense moment was before the main burial chamber when numerous living dead attacked. Other than that, the sense of tension arose briefly and then quickly faded. In short, it fit the description of the first step of a chain mission—relatively simple, with little danger and low rewards.

“Where should we look for the Xuanwu Pendant?” The past was past, and it had been a relatively low-risk mission. Besides some inscriptions and murals within the False Tomb of Zhenwu that needed to be remembered, Meng Qi had already put it behind him and began pondering the clue for the next step: “Perhaps somewhere else within the mausoleum?”

Jiang Zhiwei pondered for a moment before saying, “It should have been taken out of the False Tomb of Zhenwu by someone. The living dead couldn’t have been born with such strength. Huangfu Tao clearly began cultivating orthodox techniques after comprehending the lightning scars. If he had trained within the mausoleum in a state of ‘corporeal death,’ he wouldn’t have grown stronger but would have decayed, making it impossible to cultivate normal techniques.”

“They must have entered the mausoleum, gained a fortuitous opportunity, left, cultivated to the external scene level, and finally, due to the possession by the evil spirit’s aura, returned to the tomb and became living dead,” Qi Zhengyan judged. “If we didn’t have the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation, we would have shared their fate.”

Ruan Yushu spoke calmly: “Even without the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation, as long as the possession doesn’t manifest immediately, a high-level expert could detect the evil spirit’s attachment.”

The “high-level expert” she referred to was at least at the level of a Grandmaster.

Meng Qi nodded: “In other words, it’s likely that one of the living dead took the Xuanwu Pendant out of the mausoleum as a family treasure. Considering that the lightning scars would dissipate once their true meaning was comprehended, the first living dead to enter the main burial chamber must have been Huangfu Tao. We should start from him—yes, the Jiuxiang World, the Gathering Spirit Manor.”

They exchanged opinions, gradually outlining the situation.

“If none of the living dead took it, we can consider the place where the black fur was obtained,” Jiang Zhiwei changed the topic. “Whoever could draw an internal route map and knew about the False Tomb of Zhenwu must have had a deep connection with the Zhenwu Emperor.”

Meng Qi nodded: “The person involved is already dead, so it’s hard to trace the origin of the black fur for now. Let’s focus on the Jiuxiang World first. I feel that as this chain mission progresses, we’ll eventually go there…”

It was an inexplicable intuition.

Without the Reincarnation Talismans, they couldn’t go to the Jiuxiang World for now. After discussing, they placed the Earth Spring Lingzhi and the “True Method of Taiyin Exorcism” into the central column of light.

“Earth Spring Lingzhi, grown for one hundred and fifty years… worth seven hundred virtuous merits.”

“True Method of Taiyin Exorcism (with deletions), an external scene cultivation method… worth one thousand five hundred virtuous merits.”

Meng Qi and the others weren’t surprised that the Earth Spring Lingzhi was only one hundred and fifty years old; the older ones must have already been taken by those who entered the mausoleum and gained fortuitous opportunities, either to make medicine or consume directly. As for the “True Method of Taiyin Exorcism,” the evil spirit would naturally alter key parts. Since they didn’t plan to cultivate it or consume it, they exchanged it all for virtuous merits.

After dividing it equally, each person received five hundred and fifty virtuous merits, a modest gain from the first step of the chain mission.

Meng Qi kept only the necessary portion of the pills he obtained from the Six Gates and exchanged the rest for virtuous merits. Approximately two months’ worth of salary amounted to four hundred virtuous merits—not much, but not insignificant either. If the interval between missions was a year, it would be equivalent to the effort of painstakingly collecting secret techniques and eliminating bandits and thieves.

“Ninety-five virtuous merits,” Meng Qi said. “The Jiangdong region is turbulent and full of intrigue; we must be prepared. I plan to exchange for a Great Return Pill and two months of cultivation time to stabilize my seven orifices, preliminarily adjust my inner world, and master the ‘Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens.'”

Fifty would be kept as a reserve.

Jiang Zhiwei exchanged the items she had gathered during this period, totaling nine hundred virtuous merits. Upon hearing this, she happily said, “I’ll also exchange for a Great Return Pill and two months of cultivation time. We can spar and cultivate together.”

Since they hadn’t fully digested the items from their last exchange, what they needed most wasn’t anything else but time. With this opportunity, Jiang Zhiwei naturally wouldn’t miss it.

Moreover, without her guidance, it would be somewhat difficult for Meng Qi to master the “Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens” within three months, even though he had already transcended the physical body.

Meng Qi felt a warmth in his heart—this was what true friendship meant!

Most of Qi Zhengyan’s possessions were preparations for his travels and weren’t in a hurry to be exchanged. The rest added up to only a few dozen. “Since that’s the case, I’ll also exchange for two months of cultivation time. Otherwise, with my current strength, going to Jiangdong would leave me feeling uncertain.”

His seven orifices were also not yet stabilized, and he was far from adjusting his inner world. Therefore, he planned to cultivate intensively with Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei, exchanging the remaining virtuous merits for various items to aid cultivation.

Ruan Yushu frowned: “I’ll join as well.”

The pills in her Jiezi Ring could still be used in the next mission, so she didn’t hastily exchange them with the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation, leaving one hundred and fifty virtuous merits untouched.

“Leaving so much unused is a bit wasteful, isn’t it?” Meng Qi instinctively asked.

Without even looking up, Ruan Yushu replied coolly, “In three months, can you really practice without eating?”

Meng Qi was momentarily speechless, relieved that he had kept fifty virtuous merits for himself.

After settling into their rooms, Jiang Zhiwei found Meng Qi first and directly asked, “Do you plan to adjust your inner world based on the Golden Bell Cover or the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique?”

“Of course, the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique,” Meng Qi answered without hesitation.

Jiang Zhiwei smiled lightly, “Just as I thought. Based on the description of the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique, I believe its focus is not on strength, nor on the physical body’s robustness, nor even on transformation, but rather on the cultivation of inner clarity and self-realization hidden behind these aspects.”

“Huh?” Meng Qi was a bit confused. Although he practiced the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique, he hadn’t given much thought to its deeper meanings.

Jiang Zhiwei chuckled, “Cultivating inner clarity and self-realization is a Daoist concept. In Buddhist terms, it’s about realizing one’s inherent Buddha nature.”

She paused, “The Eight-Nine Mystical Technique lies in control and transformation. If you cultivate it to its utmost depth and transform into Qi’s senior, whether it’s the physical body, aura, mannerisms, habits, or the unique characteristics of the soul, they would all be identical to his. Could outsiders tell the difference?”

“No,” Meng Qi was confident in the transformation abilities of the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique.

Jiang Zhiwei nodded slightly, “Then conversely, if you encountered someone whose physical body, aura, mannerisms, habits, and unique soul traits were exactly the same as mine, could you be certain it wasn’t me?”

Meng Qi’s expression immediately turned serious: “No.”

Jiang Zhiwei’s demeanor became solemn: “Therefore, who is real and who is fake? The characteristics seen with the eyes, the sounds heard with the ears, and the traces felt by the heart are all limited by one’s own constraints and influenced by external factors. Without seeing the complete picture, any understanding gained is bound by one’s own body, mind, and the world.”

“In Buddhist terms, everything seen is a temporary combination of causes and conditions, not real. All appearances are not true appearances. Therefore, if one can see through external disturbances and one’s own constraints, one can perceive one’s inherent Buddha nature. The Eight-Nine Mystical Technique is precisely a cultivation method that seeks truth through transformation. When adjusting your inner world, you must consider aligning with this aspect.”

Considering Meng Qi’s Buddhist background, she translated some concepts from the “Supreme Sword Sutra” into Buddhist terminology.

“…I never expected you to have such high spiritual cultivation,” Meng Qi remained silent for a moment before sighing.

Jiang Zhiwei suppressed a smile: “I myself only understand half of it. Most of what I said was explained to me by my master when he was teaching the ‘Supreme Sword Sutra.’ Seeing the similarities with the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique, I thought I’d remind you.”

“Although Jiang Hengchuan and others may surpass you in cultivation level and achieve unity with heaven, the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique is also versatile and adept at avoiding calamities. If your inner world harmonizes with it, even under the unity with heaven, you might be able to conceal your true condition. At that time, at least in understanding the enemy, they won’t be superior to you. In fact, you could create illusions, plant ‘flaws,’ and defeat your enemies.”

Phew, Meng Qi exhaled, this truly was an ultimate martial art!

…

Outside Maoling City, in a hidden spot, a flash of blue light revealed Meng Qi’s figure.

His aura was somewhat ethereal, elusive, then steadied without any abnormality.

“At last, I’ve mastered the Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens,” Meng Qi gazed toward Maoling City with a smile. Yet, the greatest gain wasn’t even this!