“The leader of the Red Army, ‘Heavenly King of Pacification’ Du Huaishang successfully escaped from Danning, while ‘Emerald-Eyed Flying Dragon’ Zuo Hanfeng was beheaded. The main quest is completed. Return immediately with a reward of one thousand Virtue Points per person.”
Whenever this happened, the cold and emotionless voice of the Master of the Six Gates made Meng Qi feel especially comforted. It meant that they could finally escape danger and no longer struggle to survive.
Before his eyes, silver-white lightning crisscrossed, and a dizzying sense of spatial transference overwhelmed his body. Meng Qi instinctively glanced back at the city gate, only to see dark and profound nothingness.
He was not worried about Du Huaishang’s safety. Even if Zuo Yiqian’s mother pursued him, she could not threaten him, as several Red Army leaders had been waiting nearby with their subordinates to provide backup. After witnessing the massive disturbance of shifting winds and thunderous skies, they would certainly come to investigate, and might even seize the opportunity to take over Danning.
Meng Qi’s final words, “The Red Army is destined by Heaven,” were not merely for showboating in front of others but stemmed from an intuitive feeling that they would return to this world of gods and demons in the future. Helping a friendly faction increase its prestige and influence was a small favor worth doing.
This intuition was not purely instinctive. It mainly came from the Master of the Six Gates’ detailed description of the world’s general trend, which seemed filled with missions. It also came from the mysterious old ancestor who attempted “reincarnation.” He seemed connected to the Southern Wilderness of Meng Qi’s own world and the terrifying Law Body expert “Blood Sea Rakshasa.” Du Huaishang appeared to be his “reincarnation tulku.”
These multiple factors made Meng Qi feel that he would inevitably return here, perhaps more than once.
Darkness receded and light returned as Meng Qi now stood within a healing light pillar.
This time, his injuries were not severe. His “Eight and Nine” and “Golden Bell Seal” techniques remained unbroken, and his main damage came from the backlash of the Sacrificial Body Technique. He couldn’t help but sigh. Without the Six Gates’ perfect healing, given how frequently they burned their essence and activated secret techniques, even though they had transcended their mortal bodies, they might still suffer irreparable physical consequences.
After healing, Meng Qi examined himself briefly, then stepped out of the pillar and waited for his companions.
Jiang Zhiwei and the others finished around the same time. Immediately, the majestic and unemotional voice of the Master of the Six Gates echoed in their ears: “Task evaluation: all ‘Medium’. Each receives two hundred Virtue Points.”
Meng Qi was not surprised by this evaluation. They had only completed the main quest without delving deeper or uncovering more secrets. Although they had encountered two fellow cycle participants, Zhou Yong and Lan Die, and learned of the old ancestor’s existence, they had not conducted thorough investigations or achieved clear stage results.
At this point, the reward for guiding new participants was also distributed. Meng Qi, Ruan Yushu, and Jiang Zhiwei received two hundred points each, while Qi Zhengyan received one hundred fifty. Zhao Heng received nothing.
“We should quickly convert our loot into Virtue Points and then redeem information about the next task,” Jiang Zhiwei urged, unusually proactive.
“Good,” Meng Qi agreed immediately, knowing she had something important to say.
The others were indifferent but followed Meng Qi to the central light pillar, watching him open Zhou Yong’s ring and take out its contents.
Inside were colorful insect eggs, a secret manual with a dark yellow cover bearing four sinister characters: “Blood Transformation Palm,” and a grayish small banner engraved with numerous eerie patterns. Just looking at it caused dizziness and a sensation of soul separation.
Additionally, there were various bizarre witchcraft artifacts and medicinal pills, among which was a “Great Restoration Pill.”
Seeing this pill, Meng Qi immediately said, “How about I offer four hundred Virtue Points to buy it?”
He planned to hunt the Wolf King in the north after the mission, so he needed to prepare healing pills like the Great Replenishment Pill in advance. Redeeming one from the Six Gates cost five hundred points, while selling one back to them yielded only three hundred fifty. It was better to buy it directly, benefiting both sides and avoiding exploitation by the Six Gates.
The others naturally had no objections, watching Meng Qi pay four hundred points and take the Great Replenishment Pill.
As for the other items, they either involved witchcraft techniques that Meng Qi’s group couldn’t utilize, or their power was insufficient—only effective against ordinary Awakened experts. Therefore, they were all handed over to the Six Gates.
“Soul Summoning Banner, a treasure of the Witchcraft Path, Awakened-level, crafted from ninety-eight souls combined with dark rituals. It can easily stun primordial spirits…exchangeable for seven hundred Virtue Points.”
“Blood Transformation Palm, a Qi Manifestation-level martial art derived from ‘Blood Transformation Blade.’ Unless one’s strength surpasses the palm user by a level or one possesses a martial art that specifically counters this technique, anyone struck by this palm will instantly dissolve into bloody pus. However, practicing this art constantly backlashes onto the practitioner, causing unbearable pain…exchangeable for one thousand five hundred Virtue Points.”
Different types of insect eggs totaled eight hundred points, while other miscellaneous items and pills amounted to five hundred.
Since the ring was damaged and required significant Virtue Points to repair, Ruan Yushu, Meng Qi, and Zhao Heng had no need for it. Jiang Zhiwei and Qi Zhengyan also indicated they didn’t need it temporarily, so they handed it over to the Six Gates, gaining six hundred points.
Adding Meng Qi’s purchase of the Great Replenishment Pill (four hundred points), the total was four thousand five hundred Virtue Points.
At this point, Zhao Heng placed Zuo Hanfeng’s treasure weapon into the central pillar:
“Blue Dragon’s Claw, a treasure weapon forged from dragon scales and bloodline, ice-cold to the touch…exchangeable for one thousand two hundred Virtue Points.”
This treasure weapon’s original price was two thousand four hundred, but the Six Gates only bought it at half price. Meng Qi’s group was not proficient in such weapons, and Jiang Zhiwei seemed to need funds urgently, so they couldn’t wait for Meng Qi to go through the trouble of selling it at “Fairy Trace.” Thus, they had to settle for a lower price.
In total, they gained five thousand seven hundred Virtue Points, each receiving one thousand one hundred forty points. Adding past reserves and previous task rewards, Jiang Zhiwei had two thousand five hundred sixty, Ruan Yushu two thousand five hundred forty, Qi Zhengyan two thousand five hundred ninety, Zhao Heng two thousand three hundred sixty, and Meng Qi two thousand one hundred forty.
After each paid eighty Virtue Points, the Master of the Six Gates’ indifferent voice resounded from high above:
“The next task will take place in your own world. No corresponding information will be provided, only the interval: one year.”
Meng Qi and the others exchanged astonished glances, too shocked to even scold the Six Gates for giving them such a useless piece of information for four hundred Virtue Points. They were completely stunned by the words “in your own world.”
“So there are such tasks…” Zhao Heng murmured softly. Previously, every task had been in another world, making them subconsciously believe there were no “real-world tasks.” Suddenly encountering one now naturally caused a strong reaction.
Meng Qi wasn’t surprised that such a task existed. His third linked task, “Worry-Free Valley,” might also take place in their own world. However, he felt a slight sense of unease. Other worlds were relatively manageable—either with lower power levels or limited knowledge of their strength and unknown experts, like the previous divine and demonic world. But their own world—was it not a place teeming with powerful experts? Whether it was Qi Manifestation-level as common as dogs or half-step Awakened-level everywhere, it was still a world filled with formidable figures. A slight misstep could attract enemies they couldn’t possibly resist.
No wonder they didn’t provide advance intelligence… Meng Qi suddenly understood the Six Gates’ reasoning. After all, they all came from major factions. If they knew the task details, they could easily ask their masters or elders for help. For example, if Su Wuming were involved, unless facing a Law Body expert, what task wouldn’t be effortlessly accomplished?
“Our own world…” Ruan Yushu slightly nodded, still maintaining her cold demeanor. For her, main-world tasks meant they could rely on external forces.
“If it’s in our own world, the forces we can mobilize would create a massive wave. This task must be no simple matter,” Meng Qi inhaled deeply, reminding the group.
Qi Zhengyan, still with his usual deadpan expression, said, “In any case, we should focus on improving ourselves. We might be suddenly transported to some ruins, unable to rely on any external help.”
Just then, the previously silent Jiang Zhiwei softly exhaled, her expression turning resolute: “I have something to say.”
“What is it?” Meng Qi asked immediately.
Jiang Zhiwei’s gaze flickered slightly. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she reopened them, her expression was filled with fearless determination:
“I plan to enter a death retreat, to fight against myself.”
“If I fail, I will be buried in the meditation chamber.”
Meng Qi had vaguely sensed this before, but upon hearing it directly, his heart still surged with shock. A “death retreat” meant embracing death to seek rebirth—it was definitely not a safe choice. In the history of the Sword Washing Pavilion, although not many had attempted it, there had been several, yet only a few succeeded.
This was not just about seeing the glory of Su Wuming and the few successful predecessors. One must also consider the majority who silently perished in their chambers. Roughly calculating the mortality rate, it was definitely much higher than the death rate in the Six Gates’ tasks!
The girl before him, with a beauty as radiant as a blooming flower, wearing a green dress that exuded a touch of aloofness—not arrogance, but often smiling and open-minded.
In the martial world, among this generation of women, few could rival her.
Yet such a peerless beauty, such an extraordinary talent, at the prime of her twenty-one years, would sit alone in a silent chamber, wasting her youth, seeking life through death?
Thinking of the possibility that he might never see her again, imagining her silently dying in that chamber, recalling her constant care and shared experiences, Meng Qi felt momentarily panicked, wanting to stop her, yet his mouth opened but no sound came out.
After announcing her decision, Jiang Zhiwei seemed visibly relaxed, smiling but firmly stating, “My mind is made up.”
Those who had originally planned to stop her now found themselves unable to speak further. Although Zhao Heng might not fully understand Jiang Zhiwei’s personality, Meng Qi and the others certainly did. Further persuasion would not change her decision.
“Can you enter a death retreat while in the cycle?” Ruan Yushu was the first to recover her composure, asking in confusion.
“Right. The next task is a year away. Do you think you can succeed within a year?” Meng Qi asked urgently.
Jiang Zhiwei nodded: “I’ve already consulted the Six Gates. I can delay entering the cycle by spending Virtue Points—two hundred per month. Missing several tasks means I’ll have to make up for them with individual missions later.
“Also, the difficulty of your tasks will decrease due to my absence.”
“I have enough Virtue Points prepared to exchange for a year. If I haven’t broken through in two years, consider me dead.”
Those who failed their death retreat and were forcibly pulled into the cycle would certainly die instantly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage