Chapter 381: Ultimately Obtained

Whenever a major event occurs, calmness is essential.

After experiencing multiple brushes with life and death, Meng Qi had barely attained such a state of calm. Compared to the panic of the Huangfu mother and daughter, he still maintained his basic composure.

After silently reciting this saying inwardly, Meng Qi lowered his voice and said, “Don’t panic. This forest is vast; even if the Xiyue Sage disregards all costs, it won’t be accomplished immediately. There’s still a chance.”

“Find a deep underground cave to hide in?” This was the immediate thought that flashed through Huangfu Fei’s mind, and she blurted it out directly.

As long as they hide deep enough, the destruction of the forest won’t affect them. Surely the Xiyue Sage won’t go so far as to plow the earth three zhang deep? If so, perhaps a natural disaster might occur at that time, causing chaos and making escape easier.

Boom!

Another tremendous noise erupted, slightly closer this time, shaking the trees so that the accumulated snow and ice fell, stirring up a flurry of white dust.

While listening intently, Meng Qi shook his head, rejecting Huangfu Fei’s suggestion, “Where can we hastily find such a deep cave?”

Although Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu often visited this forest, they only skimmed its surface and didn’t know much about it.

They looked at each other helplessly, unable to recall any such caves. Moreover, once the forest was destroyed, the Xiyue Sage would certainly prioritize searching these places.

“Daozhang Qingyuan, what should we do?” In this moment of urgency, Lady Huangfu could do nothing but look at Meng Qi with expectant eyes.

Meng Qi pressed his left hand downward, his voice low and unhurried: “First, let’s listen.”

The thunderous sounds continued, and the roars of animals and beasts echoed, but none could shake the Xiyue Sage in the slightest. He still hovered high in the sky, his eyes cold, glowing with a silvery white light, and surrounded by brilliant moonlight that rivaled the winter sun.

Seeing Meng Qi’s composed demeanor, Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu seemed to be infected by an inexplicable confidence. Although still at a loss, they at least did not panic and flee or blindly hide.

Boom! Boom! Meng Qi fully activated his hearing, using the sounds and earth vibrations to determine the exact location. Gradually, a bird’s-eye view of the snowy forest appeared in his mind, continuously highlighting black spots representing destruction, revealing a clear pattern in its development.

Whoever repeatedly performs the same actions will inevitably fall into a monotonous regularity. It might seem random, but there is actually a consistent underlying principle. For instance, if Meng Qi and the others’ entry point into the forest is taken as a horizontal line, the Xiyue Sage started from where a horse might stop running, first destroying two places horizontally backward, then returning to the starting point and proceeding vertically upward, similarly destroying two more areas. Once a region was completely destroyed, he would repeat the same pattern.

As the mental image grew clearer, a bold idea suddenly surfaced in Meng Qi’s mind. He said gravely, “We’ll go back the way we came.”

“Eh?” Huangfu Fei was astonished.

“Trust me.” With no time to explain, Meng Qi urged urgency.

His confident and calm demeanor slightly eased the anxiety of Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu, who nodded in agreement and prepared to follow.

After all, their strength was far inferior, and their only hope lay in Daozhang Qingyuan. Whatever he said, they would obey.

Before the two could use their lightness kung fu, Meng Qi sheathed his sword and knife, moved closer, grabbed one in each hand, transformed into a phantom, and silently moved through the forest.

If the Xiyue Sage possessed martial arts capable of perceiving heaven and earth or seeing through the forest’s cover, Meng Qi wouldn’t have chosen such a time-consuming and laborious method. Therefore, as long as their movements were skillful enough not to cause significant disturbances, avoiding open spaces in the forest and rashly exiting, the Sage wouldn’t detect them.

Although he said they would return the same way, in reality, it was entirely different. Except for the direction remaining unchanged, Meng Qi now chose a straight path, no longer worrying about leaving traces, as everything would eventually be destroyed by the Xiyue Sage.

Boom! The sounds of destruction drew closer. Suddenly, Meng Qi halted his steps and stood still.

According to the pattern, the destruction should move upward rather than forward. Holding his breath, he whispered to himself, his heartbeat slightly quickening, filled with unease and tension.

If he weren’t carrying Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu, with his abilities and the items on him, escaping unnoticed by the Xiyue Sage wouldn’t be dangerous. But now, he had no choice but to take the risk.

The location where Meng Qi currently stood might soon face the next wave of attacks from the Xiyue Sage. If the Sage changed his pattern, Meng Qi would have to risk taking the blow first, then throw Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu away. It would be better for them to be captured than to die, for as long as they lived, there would still be hope. As for himself, he would immediately retreat and return to the fairy world.

As for replicating techniques like the Heaven-Overturning Seal, he still couldn’t harness the power of heaven and earth to create an aura that pierced through the clouds. The might displayed by an expert from the External Realm would certainly not be confined to just a single point.

Moreover, without knowing the opponent’s exact strength, the Xiyue Sage would surely attempt to test him first.

Boom!

The might of the external realm pressed down upon the surrounding forest, the sense of destruction now just dozens of zhang away, with gusts of wind knocking down icicles and layers of snow, creating a white expanse.

Indeed, the pattern remained unchanged! Joy surged in Meng Qi’s heart, and sweat already beaded on his forehead. The feeling of being watched had been unbearable before.

He first set down Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu, then quickly took out the “Zhangmu Ye” (Obstructing Leaf), signaling them with his eyes to move closer.

The “Zhangmu Ye” could conceal the presence and figures within a certain range, making them hard to detect for experts below the fourth tier of the external realm!

Faced with life and death, Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu disregarded their shyness and moved close to Meng Qi from both sides.

The Zhangmu Ye was damaged, and Meng Qi felt an invisible giant leaf wrap around them, tightly covering the three of them.

Boom!

The sound of destruction erupted slightly farther away.

Now! Meng Qi inhaled lightly, then once again grabbed Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu, and with a push of his foot, shot straight toward the forest’s edge.

Outside the forest was the spot where the three had entered earlier, already affected by destruction and crisscrossed with deep cracks, several zhang wide, with the snow melted, creating a stark black-and-white contrast, like an apocalyptic scene.

Meng Qi fixed his eyes on a relatively wide crack in the distance and directly leaped from the forest’s edge, like a giant roc spreading its wings.

The Xiyue Sage’s silver-white eyes coldly surveyed the surroundings of the forest, preventing Meng Qi and the others from sneaking out.

He had partially focused his attention here, but his vision seemed to be obscured by some strange phenomenon, failing to spot the clearly visible Meng Qi!

The distance was too far, and Meng Qi was about to land, leaving traces.

Suddenly, he twisted mid-air, not merely a small shift caused by a simple collision of true energy, but an unnatural second leap, gliding over a considerable distance, directly landing into the preselected crack.

The wind roared past as he rapidly descended. Meng Qi lightly pressed his left foot into the soil, halting his momentum and stiffly suspending himself mid-air within the crack.

Boom!

The spot where they had previously stood was destroyed by a single strike from the Xiyue Sage. The earth trembled, and the white expanse deepened. Meng Qi precisely calculated the interval and, during the vibrations, collided forward exactly on time, creating a human-shaped cavity and hiding himself inside to avoid being spotted from above.

After pressing against the mud wall and hiding properly, hearing the continued roaring outside, Meng Qi finally exhaled in relief, drenched in sweat.

The Xiyue Sage would certainly not have guessed that they had not hidden inside the forest but outside it. This place would be a blind spot during any subsequent search!

Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu also broke into a cold sweat. In such a situation, they dared not speak or breathe heavily, silently enduring with extremely fast heartbeats.

Thump, thump, thump. They heard a rhythmic and slow sound. Unconsciously influenced by it, their heartbeats slowed, and their tension eased.

Was this the heartbeat of Daozhang Qingyuan? They looked at Meng Qi in astonishment, only to see him sitting in deep meditation, eyes lowered, as still as an old monk in samadhi.

Thus, they took a deep breath, imitated Meng Qi’s posture, and entered a state of internal martial arts cultivation.

The thunderous sounds of destruction gradually moved away but remained deafening, the tremors of the earth clearly felt.

Outside was chaotic and noisy, contrasting sharply with the indescribable tranquility inside.

Unconsciously, the effect of the Zhangmu Ye faded.

Unconsciously, the entire forest was destroyed.

The Xiyue Sage flew above, searching the ruins within a radius of hundreds of li.

A powerful mental force swept overhead, startling Meng Qi, who immediately sensed its departure and the subsequent destructive actions taken in frustration.

Finally, it’s over… Meng Qi relaxed his furrowed brows but did not awaken Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu. He patiently waited for another day and night.

The next day, just as dawn began to break, he carried them and left the apocalyptic scene behind.

…

Huayuan City.

At the city’s entrance, Meng Qi spotted a secret mark left by Madame Hongxian, indicating that Xiayan Yun was a traitor. They had also warned Qi Shaochong and Huang Ling, following instructions to have the two disperse separately, unaware of each other’s whereabouts, waiting only for Huangfu Fei to make contact.

Upon entering the city, Meng Qi had Huangfu Fei and Lady Huangfu—now disguised as two men—wait near the city gate while he alone sought out a broker and rented an ordinary courtyard. It was neither remote nor situated in a bustling area.

After the three quietly moved in, Meng Qi exhaled in relief, reverting to his original appearance from when he first entered the Jiuxiang World. He said gravely, “Lady Huangfu, Miss Huangfu, let’s lie low for now. We’ll contact Qi Shaochong and the others after a month.”

“Alright.” After going through so much, Huangfu Fei instinctively trusted Meng Qi’s words.

After a pause, she shyly said, “Daozhang Qingyuan, I wonder if you are tired from the journey. I would like to learn the Five Thunder True Manual and the Shenxiao Spear Technique from you.”

“No problem, feel free to ask.” A faint sense of nostalgia stirred in Meng Qi’s heart. Finally, it had come.

Mastering the techniques of the Dharmakaya was truly no easy feat!