The azure radiance enveloped the surroundings as the enigmatic figure donning the “Primordial Heavenly Lord” mask darted like a streak of rosy light, mysteriously vanishing before Yu Zishou and the others—truly evoking the illusion of tearing through space and departing into the void!
Even genuine immortals might not be much different… Looking at the spot where Su Meng had vanished, the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon stood with dazed eyes and a pale face.
Could it be that the terrifying organization mentioned by him and Xiao Qing actually exists, with each of its official members possessing the strength of immortals?
They take ancient deities as their titles—will they turn fiction into reality in the future?
He felt relieved that the “Yuanshi Tianzun” had seemingly not unleashed his true power moments ago, yet at the same time, he felt disheartened by Qin Qing’s departure. Overcome with gloom, he grew deeply dissatisfied with his current martial cultivation, igniting a long-forgotten determination to strive harder.
…
In the midst of white mist, surrounded by ethereal vapors, Meng Qi returned to the Samsara Plaza.
The plaza was empty, with only the eternal statues of celestial beasts and divine birds standing still as ever.
Meng Qi, slightly excited, strode forward directly into the central beam of light. Recalling the various insights gained from the “Five Thunder True Manual” and the “Shenxiao Spear Technique,” and reflecting on his current comprehension of the “Heavenly Thunder Strike,” he requested an appraisal.
The Master of the Six Dao spoke in his ageless tone: “…Completing the missing forms of ‘Heavenly Thunder Strike’ requires five hundred Virtue Points.”
His voice was cold and emotionless, yet for the first time, Meng Qi found it so pleasant and melodious. Not only did it not irritate him, but he even wished to hear it again and again.
Only five hundred Virtue Points!
The value of the “Five Thunder True Manual” and the “Shenxiao Spear Technique” turned out to be this immense!
Perhaps to others, these two techniques were merely ordinary external martial arts sufficient only to pass the first heavenly ladder, worth no more than one or two thousand Virtue Points combined. But for Meng Qi, their value in supplementing the essence of “Heavenly Thunder Strike” was beyond measure. They were not only equivalent to four thousand Virtue Points but also significantly enhanced his mastery of swordsmanship and the essence of thunder—something no amount of Virtue Points could quantify!
Taking a deep breath to calm his heart, Meng Qi converted the “Farewell Courier” mission and some pills obtained from the Six Gates into Virtue Points. Adding them to the remaining one hundred and fifty, he finally gathered the final five hundred needed to access the Law Body techniques.
“Redeem,” Meng Qi declared aloud, choosing to speak directly in the empty plaza. It felt oddly empowering to utter those words, filling him with exhilaration and pride.
Boom!
Meng Qi seemed to have entered a world of thunder, where electric serpents danced everywhere.
The lightning coalesced into an ocean, each bolt transforming into water. Azure lightning was fierce, purple lightning majestic, and chaotic lightning terrifying—complex and overwhelming, enough to give anyone a headache just by looking.
The lightning parted, and a giant stepped forth. His entire body appeared made of lightning, covered with mysterious markings. His muscular frame and wild hair gave him a fearsome presence, and in his right hand, he held a spear crackling with purple electricity, striking out diagonally as if lashing or cleaving.
Boom!
Thunderbolts erupted accordingly, breaking through space, tearing through chaos, and triggering a chorus of thunderous roars.
Each flash of lightning seemed to contain a hazy world, where the birth and destruction of realms unfolded with the crack of thunder, exuding an aura of annihilation.
Meng Qi had witnessed such a scene before when he first grasped the ancient lightning god’s blood essence. But now, it was much clearer. The details of the spear strike were no longer fragmented, vividly etched into his mind.
Boom!
Retreating mentally, Meng Qi opened his eyes, his deep, dark pupils flickering with electric light.
The true essence of the “Heavenly Thunder Strike” had finally been transmitted. After numerous realizations and practices, he had now partially mastered its fundamentals.
Of course, it would still take time to become fully proficient. Meng Qi chose not to practice openly in the Samsara Plaza and instead left.
…
A hazy blue glow surrounded Meng Qi as he reappeared before the central jade pillar in the Immortal Trace Bazaar, drawing many sidelong glances.
Due to the “time difference,” “Bixia Yuanjun” had already departed, as had the previously seen “Doumu Yuanjun” and others. The bazaar was now occupied by two or three other members and a dozen young Daoist apprentices.
The few Immortal Trace members glanced at Meng Qi, their breathing subtly shifting, though their expressions remained hidden beneath their masks.
They turned their gazes away and continued their own business, showing no inclination to approach or converse.
Suddenly, a brilliant white light flashed at the jade pillar, and a translucent green fruit appeared midair, exuding a refreshing aura.
“The mission is complete. The client has provided the ‘Qinghua Fruit,’ please retrieve it.” The familiar voice belonged to the Master of the Six Dao once again.
Meng Qi nodded slightly. It seemed the constraints of the Immortal Trace missions were also enforced by the Six Dao, perhaps one of its privileges?
After placing the “Qinghua Fruit” into his robe, Meng Qi leisurely strolled through the bazaar, searching for suitable missions to undertake. He had nothing better to do—his plan was to return to Jiangdong and challenge the top-ranked martial artists like Qinglian Gongzi to refine his martial cultivation. Thus, he preferred selecting missions located in Jiangdong to accomplish them en route. If none were available, he would simply give up.
After nearly completing a full circuit, Meng Qi halted abruptly upon spotting the characters “Jiangdong”:
“Mission: A dear friend of this humble Daoist has been missing for years, suspected to have met a tragic fate. Recently, clues have pointed to Jiangdong’s Wen’an, where he was last seen…”
“Due to pressing matters, I cannot personally investigate and thus submit this mission, seeking assistance from fellow cultivators…”
“The missing person is Jin Li, a bastard son of the Jin family from Shendu.”
“Mission Restriction: Jin Li possesses the strength of a Heaven-Connected expert. Do not attempt unless you are stronger.”
“Mission Reward: One thousand Virtue Points will be awarded upon finding conclusive evidence, or if you provide the main materials, this humble Daoist will gladly assist in crafting weapons or items for free.”
“Mission Submitter: Yunzhongzi.”
A Heaven-Connected expert capable of forging treasures—if befriended, it would save many future troubles… Meng Qi pondered briefly before deciding to accept the mission. If things became too complicated, he could simply return through the Jiangdong entrance of the Immortal Trace and abandon it, avoiding interference with others.
After accepting the mission, Meng Qi received detailed information, which he casually flipped through as he walked.
Suddenly, he noticed that several members of the Immortal Trace had entered a nearby stone house, staying briefly before emerging silently.
“What is that place?” Curious, Meng Qi asked a nearby Daoist apprentice.
Knowing that the “Yuanshi Tianzun” before him was a new member, the apprentice did not laugh but respectfully replied: “Honored Tianzun, that place was originally for immortals to drink tea and chat. Later, they discovered that the random pieces of information exchanged there were extremely useful. If known in advance, one could profit or prepare defenses accordingly.”
“Given the rarity of immortals, aside from their own teams, encounters depend purely on luck. Thus, the stone house became a place for leaving messages. Each immortal posts notices about events or exclusive intelligence from their regions for others to view, while also reading others’ notes to find useful information.”
It was essentially the Immortal Trace version of the Six Gates’ official bulletins… Understanding dawned on Meng Qi as he entered the stone house and indeed saw numerous yellow papers pinned to the walls, inscribed with black ink.
Glancing through them, Meng Qi noticed that the earliest were about two months old. After all, many Immortal Trace members were Heaven-Connected experts, whose statuses were lofty. Once information exceeded two months in age, they could usually obtain it through other channels, making it unnecessary to occupy space any longer.
“‘Crazy Blade’ Su Meng fought a night battle at Longyan Mountain, eliminating three assassins—Mo Ying Han Zhang, Lieyan Renmo, and Luohun Xiao—under their joint attack. His strength should not be underestimated…” Meng Qi’s lips twitched slightly beneath his mask. His recent exploits had already made it here…
He continued reading, gathering much useful intelligence, such as an internal conflict within a Shendu aristocratic family that nearly led to a tragedy.
As he read on, Meng Qi’s breathing suddenly grew heavy. Before him was a note that read:
“‘Invisible Sword’ He Jiu has set a banquet, inviting nearly ten rising talents ranked after him to ‘Xingyun Manor,’ a secondary estate of the Eastern Sea Sword Sect located in Yingcheng…”
At the sight of this message, a strange feeling surged within Meng Qi:
He Jiu was on the verge of a breakthrough!
Thus, he had invited the top ten talents on the Human Ranks to attend his banquet, attempting to fight multiple opponents consecutively, boosting his momentum, elevating himself to the peak condition, and taking a crucial step forward amidst the surging energies!
This was Meng Qi’s speculation, yet he felt it was extremely close to the truth. His emotions surged, and his fighting spirit flared, wishing to rush there immediately.
Even if he were to lose, he must not let his morale waver!
Surely he should be among the invitees?
…
Meng Qi did not choose the Immortal Trace exit in Jiangdong but instead returned the same way he came. Otherwise, if he left Shaolin and was soon spotted in Jiangdong, suspicions might arise.
A faint glow illuminated as space seemed to tear open, revealing chaotic darkness.
Meng Qi stepped out, unsurprised to find himself in an extremely secluded location, not the same spot as before, since the Xianyou Talisman and Bixia Yuanjun had carried him through a segment of the void.
The sky had already begun to brighten, and distant light reflected off the snow that had fallen overnight, casting a golden glow. Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully—was this the time flow caused by the Samsara Talisman, or was the Immortal Trace not truly part of the cycle? Perhaps both reasons applied.
In the future, he must seek out the Beiming Team to determine the Master of the Six Dao’s cultivation level based on their return times.
If the worst-case scenario were true, it would mean the Six Dao could distort time, determining past causes from future effects…
He inhaled deeply, using the sun and residual stars to orient himself before hurrying back into the city. Then, transforming into a covert agent, he submitted a report on the battle at the Mountain God Temple, describing the sword techniques in a third-person narrative while gradually downplaying the swordplay.
In the future, he would primarily use blade techniques when traveling the martial world, living up to the name “Crazy Blade,” or rather, “Blade Madman,” gradually fading others’ impressions of his sword techniques. Meanwhile, he would rely more on sword techniques during Samsara missions, unleashing both sword and blade, fists and kicks, only in moments of crisis!
After completing these miscellaneous tasks, Meng Qi changed into a black martial outfit, dressing exactly like the “Crazy Blade” Su Meng, and boldly set off toward Jiangdong, waiting for He Jiu’s invitation.
A few days later, he returned to Longyan City in Dizhou. Just after checking into the largest inn, someone knocked on his door.
Outside stood a man in a green robe and small cap, respectfully handing him a red invitation:
“Master Su, my young master invites you to the Xingyun Banquet.”
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