Jiang Hengchuan’s pupils constricted, his heart chilled, and his true energy circulated as he prepared to break through with an aggressive attack.
At the same time, several thoughts surfaced in his mind:
“Does he know the mystery of the Samsara Seal? Could he possibly be on our side?”
“He hasn’t attacked directly and instead spoken words—could it be he wishes to inquire or negotiate?”
Before him, Meng Qi stood poised and composed, his words “I’ve been waiting for you” exuding effortless grace. Yet, there was no trace of killing intent about him, nor the overwhelming aura of someone at the peak of their power. It appeared Jiang Hengchuan’s suspicions were correct…
Just as Jiang Hengchuan hesitated slightly in launching his attack, an awe-inspiring voice, indescribable in mere words, pierced through the heavens. Had Jiang ever encountered a true dragon, he would have recognized it as the “Dragon’s Roar.”
The “Dragon’s Roar Across the Ages”—one of the Twelve Divine Sounds of Langhuan!
This majestic voice struck directly into Jiang Hengchuan’s soul, causing him to tremble instinctively from sheer, natural fear. Were it not for his state of cosmic unity, where the surrounding environment dispersed and neutralized much of the effect, he might have already collapsed, his limbs weak and his true energy unable to circulate.
The dragon’s roar echoed repeatedly in his mind, shaking his Yuan Shen (primordial spirit) and leaving his eyes dazed, nearly compelling him to kneel and prostrate himself, utterly unable to focus elsewhere.
Then, the light dimmed, and reflected in his slightly dazed pupils was a dazzling sword light, so breathtaking it erased all other thoughts, a sword light of pure selflessness and transcendence.
The heavens and earth seemed subtly transformed, forever changed from before. In an instant, Jiang Hengchuan’s cosmic unity was no longer perfect, flawed in harmony with nature and his surroundings.
In his state of cosmic unity, his mind should have reflected everything, even detecting the slightest movement of an enemy’s pores, leaving no secrets hidden. Yet now, his inner world was filled solely with that brilliant sword light—radiant, grand, and pure, consuming everything.
Internally assaulted by the “Dragon’s Roar” shaking his spirit, and externally confronted by a divine sword capturing his soul, even with all his talent, how could Jiang Hengchuan possibly cope with such an ambush?
He could barely think clearly—how could he respond?
Meng Qi drew attention upfront, relaxed the enemy’s vigilance with words. Ruan Yushu, positioned farthest away and thus least likely to be discovered, controlled the situation remotely with her zither music. Jiang Zhiwei, closer by, waited until Meng Qi spoke, then swiftly approached, launching a full-force sword strike before Jiang Hengchuan could detect her or the zither’s sound began.
A white arc surged forth, and the azure sky’s clouds suddenly boiled, as if a flying bird had passed, leaving behind a white trail in midair.
The clouds split open, sunlight illuminating nine directions, radiant and golden.
The Jin River split down the middle, its waves momentarily separating into two.
Jiang Hengchuan, relying on his cosmic unity, desperately calmed his Yuan Shen and circulated his true energy. The object hidden in his palm was crushed.
A green light flared, instantly nullifying Jiang Hengchuan’s concealment. Yet, his body was enveloped in light, suddenly vanishing from his spot and reappearing a zhang away.
A teleportation artifact!
The sword light, devoid of self and form, traced a graceful arc midair and pursued him. Jiang Zhiwei’s control over her ultimate strike was clearly superior to Meng Qi’s. Even with short-range teleportation, he couldn’t escape the locking power of the “Sword of Selflessness.”
The moment Jiang Hengchuan saw the sword light, he knew escaping with the teleportation artifact was futile. He used this brief respite to slightly suppress the lingering effects of the “Dragon’s Roar,” smiling calmly, composed and serene. His right hand formed a seal with five fingers shifting rapidly through countless transformations, as if myriad flowers bloomed in an inch of space.
Fingers clasped, he pointed a single finger toward the heavens and earth, embodying constancy amidst infinite change.
He finally unleashed the “Return to Unity Finger.” Yet under the influence of the divine sound and the awe-inspiring sword light, could its power be fully realized in such haste?
The finger struck the sword tip head-on.
Power erupted, sword qi surged, and Jiang Hengchuan’s right hand was instantly severed into countless bloody fragments, the damage spreading toward his body.
At that moment, his body radiated a dark golden glow, pure and solemn, heavy and solid, as if he had become an unbreakable bronze statue.
Golden Bell Seal!
Concealing myriad things, adept at mimicking techniques, Jiang Hengchuan displayed an extremely potent defensive Golden Bell Seal to save his life. Judging from its effect, due to his cultivation level, it even surpassed Meng Qi’s!
This was his ultimate trump card!
Crackling sounds rang out. Jiang Hengchuan’s right hand was pierced like an open umbrella, his body’s dark golden glow shattered into pieces, and blood spurted from his mouth as sword qi pierced his body, instantly shattering his cosmic unity.
But at least he had survived!
Using this brief reprieve, he dashed straight toward the Jin River, intending to escape into the water. Jiang Zhiwei alone was already his equal; with the addition of the Ruan family’s zither girl and the “Crazy Blade” Su Meng, staying any longer meant certain death.
Already gravely wounded by the Langhuan divine sounds and the Sword of Selflessness in an ambush, he had barely managed to stay conscious by tapping into his last reserves.
Unfortunately, though he understood his dire situation, he was powerless to escape. Meng Qi from the forest ahead rushed forth with his blade, its light like smoke rising gently, filling the ten-zhang radius with worldly dust, dispelling all serenity.
This blade, ethereal and drifting like a swimming fish or a tiny insect, slipped through the crevices of Jiang Hengchuan’s mind and struck directly into his Yuan Shen.
Cultivators who walk alone face great hardships. Even if clever and resourceful, with strong deceptive appearances, rising above others is nearly impossible unless one bows low and breaks one’s spine.
Born into an unfavorable background, somehow he had developed pride. No matter what, he refused to bow or flatter seniors or ingratiate himself with masters. His path through the martial world had been extremely arduous. He had even considered returning home to farm—fortunately, heaven had left him a sliver of hope, and he had encountered the greatest fortune of his life…
Later, he met companions and joined an organization that helped each other without forcing anyone to complete missions. He gained the cultivation method and title of the “Star God of Literature.”
Yet, in every mission, how many had died by his hand or perished due to his schemes?
Even as his heart grew as hard as iron, recalling these moments still made inner peace elusive. Just like this time with Chu Guan—though he was merely a peripheral member with little knowledge of the organization’s secrets, not truly a companion, forcing him coldly to commit suicide still weighed heavily on Jiang’s soul.
Weakness harms others, thus preventing serenity.
Suddenly, Jiang Hengchuan awoke—the blade had already pierced his protective aura and reached his face.
With his current state of mind, he smiled naturally, forming a flower-picking gesture with his left hand and flicking it outward gently.
The “Flower-Picking Finger,” mimicked from the “Conceal All Things” technique. Though its essence and power differed, it was perfectly suited for this moment.
With a flick of his finger, the blade light scattered. Jiang Hengchuan’s pupils suddenly constricted, for the true energy within that strike was hollow, only a thin layer on the surface!
It appeared that the moment the protective barrier was breached, Su Meng had already withdrawn his true energy, gathering momentum for another strike. With a miraculous technique, he deceived Jiang’s already damaged and incomplete senses.
Sighing, he heard a voice filled with sympathy, pity, regret, and determination. Then, he saw a brilliant sword light seemingly descending from the heavens.
The divine intent came before the blade, lingering in its wake.
Unchanging in essence, simplicity itself became the ultimate variation.
The sword descended from the heavens, piercing the profound gate—unstoppable.
(Note: “玄关” is translated as “profound gate” to convey its metaphysical connotation in this context, as the term often implies a threshold between realms in classical Chinese philosophy.)
Struck between the eyebrows, Jiang Hengchuan suddenly had one final thought:
“At least I heard the Langhuan divine sound…”
The sword pierced one inch into Jiang Hengchuan’s forehead, its qi erupting, destroying his vitality. Meng Qi finally exhaled deeply. Could the young master Wang block this in the morning? Now, after being ambushed and exhausted, how could you possibly resist?
Don’t be deceived by how easily we won, with Jiang Hengchuan barely able to retaliate. Our group unleashed deadly blows continuously, nearly all of us giving our all. The slightest gap would have allowed him to escape.
Just after using the Samsara Seal to return, his vigilance was at its peak. Hence, Meng Qi didn’t ambush him near the inner mansion. Instead, he decisively abandoned the hidden environment, choosing to strike outside the outer mansion, digging up the soil near the green stone.
When Jiang Hengchuan found no ambush inside and, believing no one knew the Samsara Seal’s mystery, relaxed slightly and stepped out, he walked straight into Meng Qi’s trap.
Jiang Zhiwei was already nearly his equal, even slightly superior. Combined with Ruan Yushu’s Langhuan Twelve Divine Sounds, Meng Qi’s Jiuyang Xuan Gong, A-nan’s Precept-Breaking Blade Art, and the Flying Immortal from the Heavens, even the Wolf King might have fallen here.
Of course, while it’s easy to defeat such a master in a group, killing him is difficult. Only when Jiang Hengchuan was pierced between the eyebrows did Meng Qi finally relax.
As Jiang Hengchuan’s vitality faded, on the brink of death, Meng Qi’s eyes suddenly shone with an unusual brilliance, his entire demeanor transforming, ancient and distant, like a god or Buddha observing the universe.
“The Heaven-Altering and Earth-Shaking Method!”
Jiang Hengchuan’s corpse might soon be destroyed, so this rare opportunity must be used to break through his mental defenses and awaken unforgettable memories.
At the same time, Jiang Zhiwei’s left hand flicked rapidly, her finger winds transforming into swords, severing objects on Jiang Hengchuan’s body, fearing he might burn away like the Fire Virtue Star God after death.
Even if he had nothing valuable, at least they could search for clues!
The normally undulating sea of his mind gradually calmed, golden fragments slowly sinking to the depths, fading in color, soon to become a desolate void.
Suddenly, great waves surged abnormally, golden fragments leaping. One rapidly expanded, displaying a magnificent scene.
A golden, resplendent palace appeared, the upper seat unoccupied. On both sides sat about ten people each, all masked, their auras restrained.
Their masks bore titles like “Purple Stars Sovereign,” “Nine Heavens Thunder God,” “Martial Star Lord,” “Mountain Peak Divine King,” and even “Golden Emperor Western Queen Mother”…
Suddenly, everything before Meng Qi shattered. A dim, indistinct sword light emerged, collapsing his entire mental sea.
Meng Qi staggered back a step, blood flowing from his nose, suffering backlash. Jiang Hengchuan’s corpse suddenly emitted streams of sword qi, disintegrating into flesh and blood sludge. All unsevered connections met the same fate.
Anticipating this, Meng Qi sighed, silently mourning in his heart: “Brother Jiang, if it comes to strategy and schemes, to plotting and intrigue, I am far inferior to you. Without my ‘cheat ability,’ knowing beforehand of Xuantian Sect’s stance toward you, and without Zhiwei and others coming to assist and secretly tailing you, even if I had figured it out at the last moment, I would have had no chance to turn the tide…”
“I rejected your recruitment, ruined your plans. Facing an enemy like you, if I hadn’t struck with ruthless force, I would never have peace again.”
At least now, the old Zhong who fled midway and the Purple Stars Sovereign who was delayed before entering the outer mansion could only guess at what had occurred inside. The obvious culprit was clearly Young Master Wang!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage