The aura of Qu Jiuniang was indeed faint, but not due to injury—it was clearly the result of suppression. In other words, the person who captured her ensured she couldn’t even attempt to fight back, and this was despite her possession of several secret treasures!
Her strength was inferior to that of the “Ming Huang.” However, both the number and the eerie potency of her secret treasures surpassed it. The expert who captured her could at most be slightly weaker than the “Doumu Yuanyun,” likely reaching the peak of the Outer Scenery realm, possibly a Half-Step Dharma Body, or even higher!
Meng Qi felt as if the surrounding air had become frozen. It seemed as though a pair of dangerous, powerful, and ill-intentioned eyes were watching him!
However, he clearly understood that this was merely an illusion caused by the changes within his own mind, not reality. Yet one thing was certain: where was the expert who had effortlessly captured Qu Jiuniang?
He or they definitely weren’t the red-faced and black-faced men currently guarding Qu Jiuniang. No matter how strong those two were, they couldn’t surpass the First Tier of the Celestial Ladder!
Had they deemed Qu Jiuniang of little value and thus ceased to care?
Or were they lying in ambush in the shadows, waiting for someone to come rescue her?
One question after another surfaced in Meng Qi’s mind. His transformed plump, chubby sand rat cautiously circled the area where Qu Jiuniang was imprisoned from a distance, seeking any signs of traps or ambushes, but unfortunately found nothing.
He dared not approach closely, nor did he dare to be careless. Retracing his steps, he exited the rat hole, resumed his original form, and told “Feitian Yecha” Yan Wuwo all that he had discovered and deduced.
“Your speculations are all possible. Since we’re here to rescue her, we should treat it as if there is an ambush,” Yan Wuwo said, his face turned toward the harsh sunlight of the vast desert, exuding a faint metallic sheen.
Cultivating the Zombie Fist and capable of transforming into “Feitian Yecha,” his physical body was equally formidable and solid, not much weaker than a senior monk of the same realm practicing the Golden Bell Cover.
“How do we handle it?” Meng Qi asked.
He knew that if it were him, the first step would be to determine roughly how many experts were lying in ambush, their respective strengths, and whether there were any formations nearby—only then could he act without recklessness.
Yan Wuwo’s expression was expressionless, like a real zombie: “First, confirm the presence of nearby experts and any formations.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a crimson fire pillar rose behind him—no, it was a tall, ashen figure wreathed in flames. Its mouth bore two fangs, its eyes hollow, and the faint moisture in the surrounding area vanished instantly.
A male version of the “Handa”? The Handa that leaves a hundred-mile radius barren wherever it goes? Meng Qi instinctively closed his eyes and suddenly noticed that the ashen Handa, surrounded by flames, seemed to form a red dragon spewing fire, concealing within it the profound truth of burning away everything.
One of the Nine Dragon Sacred Flames Manifestations?
Meng Qi, who possessed the Buddha’s Palm and cultivated the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, had an extremely sharp perception. Having previously encountered the Dharma Body of Doumu Yuanyun, he quickly deduced Yan Wuwo’s true Dharma Body from these clues. He used the Handa to represent the red dragon, manifesting one of the Nine Dragon Sacred Flames Manifestations. In other words, he primarily cultivated the Nine Dragon Sacred Flames Manifestation, integrating the inheritance of the Zombie Fist. What he displayed was merely a part of his Dharma Body.
The flame-wreathed “Handa” landed on the ground, its stance identical to Yan Wuwo’s, as if embodying the vast earth itself.
The undead were inherently of the earth element. The Handa combined both earth and fire, with fire generating earth, thus becoming the ancestor.
With his eyes closed, Meng Qi seemed to sense the surroundings burning fiercely, everything turning to ashes drifting down, becoming part of the earth.
Was this a manifestation of the profound principle of fire generating earth?
Meng Qi suddenly opened his eyes. There was no sign of the raging flames in his vision—only Yan Wuwo and the Handa behind him strangely dissolving into sand, seeping into the earth, becoming indistinguishable from it.
When it came to tunneling, few could rival Yan Wuwo…
As Meng Qi involuntarily thought this, the vast desert ground suddenly began to shake violently. Distant weathered rocks toppled over, breaking into pieces.
An earthquake!
Meng Qi was startled but then chuckled at himself. With his current strength, and not being deep in the mountains, what did he have to fear from an earthquake in this endless desert?
He flew slightly higher, sensing the epicenter, which was deep underground over a hundred li away, affecting an area hundreds of li in diameter.
The intense tremors caused minor cracks in the earth, but soon everything calmed. A pile of sand rose, solidifying into a human form—Yan Wuwo.
The red flame Handa behind him had already vanished.
Did he cause the earthquake? Meng Qi suddenly realized, but why was the epicenter a hundred li away?
When an Outer Scenery Peak expert exerted their full strength, they could affect an area a hundred li wide. Earthquakes themselves could transmit energy, so affecting hundreds of li wasn’t strange. What was strange was the location of the epicenter!
This must be Yan Wuwo’s special technique—to mislead any lurking ambushers into thinking it was a natural earthquake.
After a moment’s contemplation, Yan Wuwo transmitted his voice: “Within a radius of one hundred and fifty li, there are three Outer Scenery Peak masters and five other masters. I can only roughly sense them; I cannot identify their identities.”
“The number is abnormal!” Meng Qi blurted out.
Even considering the recent emergence of the Buddha’s Palm manual, which had drawn a terrifying number of Outer Scenery experts and masters to Yuhai Tahan, gathering eight masters within a radius of one hundred and fifty li was still incredible.
From this alone, it could be inferred that there really was an ambush!
“Correct,” Yan Wuwo concurred without further comment.
Meng Qi pondered and transmitted his thoughts: “I don’t know which of these eight masters are ambushers and which are just here for normal reconnaissance… Well, regardless, we should treat them all as ambushers. Plan the rescue operation assuming the enemy has eight masters, to be prepared for any eventuality.”
Yan Wuwo clasped his hands behind his back, rose into the air, and transmitted his voice: “Then we can only ask the Heavenly Venerable to intervene.”
Though proud and self-assured, considering himself no less than any Outer Scenery Peak master, facing three such experts and several others at the Seventh or Eighth Heaven level was no easy task!
Meng Qi shared the same thought. As they flew back, the many Outer Scenery experts nearby were all disturbed by the earthquake, making their movements seem normal and not suspicious.
After flying for a while, Meng Qi reviewed the events in his mind several times, growing increasingly uneasy.
“Master Yan, do you think the people who captured Jiuniang know she’s a member of the ‘Xian Ji’?” Meng Qi suddenly accelerated, blocking Yan Wuwo’s path.
Yan Wuwo looked at him, saying nothing, waiting for him to continue.
Meng Qi spoke while thinking: “If they don’t know, using soul-searching techniques during interrogation might easily lead Jiuniang to self-destruct. If they don’t know, then who are they targeting with their ambush?”
“Although Jiuniang is seen by the world as a mysterious Outer Scenery expert, capturing her might indeed attract rescuers, but launching an ambush without understanding who’s behind her is not the act of a wise person—it only creates powerful enemies…”
“I also tend to believe they know Jiuniang’s identity, and this ambush is specifically targeting our Xian Ji.” Yan Wuwo had barely spoken, appearing indifferent to the matter, but in reality, he had already made his own judgment.
Meng Qi continued: “If it’s targeting our Xian Ji, wouldn’t they consider the presence of the Heavenly Venerable, the presence of a Dharma Body?”
With the emergence of the Buddha’s Palm manual, the possibility of the Lingbao Tianzun being nearby was very high. What could a few masters lying in ambush accomplish?
“Those who know Jiuniang’s identity and Xian Ji’s existence may not necessarily know about the Heavenly Venerable,” Yan Wuwo said.
After all, Xian Ji was a mysterious organization. Its official members, their identities, and strengths were largely unknown to the world.
“What if they do know?” Meng Qi said gravely. “Then this ambush might be specifically targeting the Heavenly Venerable!”
If that were the case, then those Outer Scenery Peak masters and other experts were merely decoys, making the two of them think: “Yes, there’s an ambush, but it’s only this much!”
Yan Wuwo’s expression remained unchanged: “I considered this earlier. Perhaps we can have the Heavenly Venerable pass by in his true identity, accompanied by Cui Qinghe and He Qi. Even if there’s another ambush, can it possibly trap three Dharma Bodies?”
This was the most prudent yet helpless solution. Not to mention whether Cui Qinghe and He Qi would cooperate or try to uncover secrets, merely the fact that three Dharma Bodies secretly colluding would be exposed would make the subsequent plan to seize the Buddha’s Palm manual extremely difficult.
Meng Qi pondered: “Perhaps we don’t need to trouble these great experts.”
“Do you have a plan?” Yan Wuwo, for once, showed a slight emotional shift.
Meng Qi smiled: “Although the Mythical Tian Di is a Dharma Body, making the world view Xian Ji’s leader with high regard, the number of Dharma Bodies in the world is extremely limited. Other forces rarely consider the possibility of a Dharma Body’s involvement when taking action. At most, they prepare for a Dharma Body’s intervention, ensuring an escape route, but they wouldn’t specifically set traps targeting a Dharma Body. After all, the likelihood of Xian Ji having a Dharma Body is much lower than not.”
“There is, however, one exception—the Mythical faction we often clash with. They know about the Heavenly Venerable and are certain he is a Dharma Body. If this matter concerns them, it’s almost certain the trap is aimed at the Heavenly Venerable. Perhaps my earlier reconnaissance was already noticed, but they remained patient, even intentionally allowing it.”
“If we can determine whether the Mythical faction is involved in this matter, whether they’ve sold our secrets to other forces, then the situation will become relatively simple.”
Yan Wuwo nodded slightly: “Where do we start?”
“Master Yan, have you forgotten ‘Blessed Heaven Official’ Zhou Qiushan?” Meng Qi smiled.
As a formal member who appeared here, he should know something. As long as Meng Qi didn’t probe into the Mythical faction’s secrets, merely bringing up matters related to the Bixia Yuanyun, he shouldn’t trigger any self-destruction mechanisms!
Yan Wuwo, always decisive, immediately agreed to Meng Qi’s request, not considering keeping Zhou Qiushan to lure out other Mythical members.
After finalizing their plan, Yan Wuwo sank into the earth, while Meng Qi transformed into an unfamiliar Outer Scenery expert, searching everywhere for Zhou Qiushan and Qian Kai.
…
Half a day later, at a place where Buddhist light was rising, Meng Qi, from afar, saw Qian Kai, Zhou Qiushan, and the “Gatekeeper” Lu Jiang searching for something in a ravine.
“Shall I take action?” Yan Wuwo suddenly emerged.
Meng Qi shook his head: “We must be cautious of high-ranking Mythical members near Zhou Qiushan. Please, Master Yan, stay hidden first. If things go awry, pull me out.”
Yan Wuwo looked at Meng Qi: “Do you have confidence in quickly capturing Zhou Qiushan?”
“Indeed,” Meng Qi replied calmly, brimming with confidence.
Yan Wuwo once again concealed himself in the earth. Meng Qi, in turn, waited patiently. After a while, Zhou Qiushan, Qian Kai, and the Gatekeeper separated to search the nearby areas, gradually increasing the distance between them.
Meng Qi transformed once more, becoming “Ri Ri San Ren” Shen Bao, his left hand gripping the center of the sword sheath. In an instant, he appeared near Zhou Qiushan.
Zhou Qiushan was first startled, but then sensed Meng Qi’s aura and relaxed slightly, saying solemnly, “Brother Shen, why are you here?”
His eyelid twitched slightly, the black mole on it becoming more noticeable.
“I thought about it and decided I’d rather cooperate with you, so I followed your trail here,” Meng Qi smiled as he approached Zhou Qiushan.
As he spoke, Meng Qi crossed the safe distance.
Zhou Qiushan exhaled: “That’s perfect. With Brother Shen’s help, we can finally venture deeper…”
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Meng Qi suddenly take a step forward, closing nearly ten zhang in an instant, appearing less than a zhang in front of him. His right hand clenched into a fist and swung out.
The fist was pale, encircled by golden and black-and-white flecks of light, emanating a solemn and sacred aura. Interwoven with the breath of Dao and virtue, the well-defined knuckles resembled a “Jade Ruyi.”
Zhou Qiushan had no time to react. A layer of Glazed Light Shield suddenly rose from his body—a secret treasure activating instinctively!
The “Jade Ruyi-like” fist descended, carrying an aura of sacred inviolability and embodying the progenitor of all laws.
Silently, the white fist shattered through the glazed light shield!
Zhou Qiushan was inexplicably startled. Purple energy surged from his body, filled with blessings, as if he could always luckily evade calamities.
Golden specks blazed, and black and white colors merged into one. The head of the “Jade Ruyi” seemed to sprout a golden lotus, blooming into a black-and-white glow!
Within the hazy light, the purple energy twisted and turned in vain. This punch struck Zhou Qiushan’s forehead directly!
Transforming rigidity into softness, turning yin into yang, the fist suddenly opened, seizing Zhou Qiushan’s forehead. Threads of true energy seeped in, sealing his spirit and physical body.
At this moment, a crimson pillar of fire erupted, enveloping both Meng Qi and Zhou Qiushan as they utilized the earth to escape, vanishing without a trace.
From afar, the “Gatekeeper” Lu Jiang and Qian Kai sensed their clash and rushed to aid, arriving within moments.
But in their eyes, only sand and yellow earth remained, empty and desolate. Zhou Qiushan, who had been there moments ago, was already gone!
Cold sweat beaded on Qian Kai’s forehead. If not for having just parted with Zhou Qiushan, he would almost suspect he had experienced a dream or that Zhou Qiushan had never been here at all!
In less than two breaths, Zhou Qiushan had been captured?
What terrifying enemy was this!
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