Chapter 570: The Tenth Entrance

The Heavenly Venerable Lingbao chuckled lightly—whether he had seen through Meng Qi’s thoughts remained unclear—and continued, “The second technique is named ‘All Phenomena Return to Void.’ In an instant, it collapses all transformations around you into the form of primordial emptiness, thereby condensing all your strength and the power of heaven and earth into a single point. When mastered to perfection, this point can ‘pierce’ through the Void (xūkōng), creating genuine primordial emptiness, capable of annihilating stars with a mere gesture.”

Isn’t this the real-life version of a black hole? Meng Qi’s forehead slightly broke into a cold sweat. If this move were combined with an extremely heavy weapon, it could generate a terrifying power that would make one’s hair stand on end just imagining it. No wonder the Great Sage chose the golden-banded staff, and no wonder one move from the Yu Xu Qing Yuan sword technique and one from the Qi Tian Dao Hai staff technique both emphasize the unification of power!

As he imagined the scenes of Lord Qingyuan Miaodao True Sovereign and the Great Sage using this move, Heavenly Venerable Lingbao did not interrupt. Only after Meng Qi regained his composure did he continue, “The third ultimate skill for the Dharma Body is closer to supernatural abilities, called ‘Bodhi Wisdom Eye’. If perfected, it can penetrate all illusions, discern all transformations of phenomena, resist techniques that attack the soul, and also open a third eye, emit brilliant rays, and immobilize the opponent’s soul. However, this ultimate Dharma Body skill is extremely difficult to master. According to ancient records, unless one possesses profound Buddhist nature, even entering the practice is difficult.”

“Of course, according to Buddhist teachings, everyone inherently possesses the nature of Bodhi and thus everyone can cultivate the ‘Bodhi Wisdom Eye’. However, this nature is obscured by the mundane sufferings and cannot be unlocked. Therefore, one can also use external aids such as pills to assist in going through various trials to ‘open the eye’. However, this is ultimately taking a shortcut, lacking effectiveness and leaving hidden dangers.”

After Heavenly Venerable Lingbao finished his explanation, Meng Qi, still masked, furrowed his brow in thought. Which move should he choose?

The Eight-Nine Profound Art was his primary cultivation method. The earlier he came into contact with Dharma Body techniques, the better it would be for cultivating the Outer Manifestation Chapter, as he was following the Eight-Nine Profound Art while integrating the content of the Yuanshi Golden Scripture, taking a path never walked by predecessors. He needed references to avoid straying from the right path.

From this original intention, directly derived from the Eight-Nine Profound Art’s ability of ‘Flesh and Blood with Spirit’, “Flesh and Blood with Spirit” seemed most suitable.

Moreover, he also possessed Dharma Body techniques such as the Three-Treasure Ruyi Fist, Heaven’s Five Thunder Strike, and those most compatible with the Inner Manifestation Dharma Form. Currently, he employed “Piercing Heaven and Splitting Earth” as a move comparable to Dharma Body techniques, so he was not lacking in offensive capabilities. “All Things Return to Emptiness” was not an immediate necessity—”Yin-Yang Seal” and “Only I Am Supreme,” Meng Qi had not even grasped their fundamentals yet and remained unclear about their specific effects, only knowing they could be utilized for attacks.

As for the “Bodhi Wisdom Eye,” it was an extremely powerful auxiliary technique, very helpful for future tasks related to Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West, as those scenarios often involved experts skilled in transformation techniques and secret arts that directly attacked the soul. Unfortunately, its cultivation was too difficult. Meng Qi doubted his own ability to succeed and did not want to waste this opportunity at the moment.

After a brief pause, Meng Qi decided to be practical and said, “Venerable, I will choose ‘Flesh and Blood with Spirit.'”

Improving recovery abilities would further highlight the advantages of his strong physical form!

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao did not say much but directly took out a jade slip, slightly sealed it, and handed it to Meng Qi for comprehending its true inheritance.

As his consciousness entered the slip, Meng Qi suddenly felt his soul merging with his martial arts will, permeating his entire body. Thus, his ears “saw” his shoulders, his shoulders “saw” his mouth, and his “mouth” saw his chest. Every acupoint and every inch of flesh was wriggling, now possessing Meng Qi’s spirit!

This wondrous physical transformation intoxicated Meng Qi, and he did not know how long had passed before he stopped comprehending, his gaze deep and contemplative.

So many secrets were hidden within the physical body! When cultivated to the extreme, each acupoint and every inch of flesh could evolve into a universe or a world, not at all illusory!

“You are currently involved in the matter of the general outline, and the situation is intense. It is easy to be struck by hidden arrows. It would be better to focus on cultivation and hide your abilities for a while,” Heavenly Venerable Lingbao reminded him at this moment.

Meng Qi nodded and said, “I was just thinking the same.”

He had originally planned to find a place for quiet cultivation, then go to Jiangdong after two months to meet his subordinate team, and plan to sell the Elixir of Eternal Life in the East, striving to reach the third level of Outer Manifestation before the Investiture of the Gods task began.

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao paused and said, “Alternatively, our Immortal Trace has an auxiliary world. Although the flow of time is the same as in the main world, the spiritual energy there is extremely abundant, making cultivation easier and allowing you to avoid external disturbances.”

“There happens to be a task right now. Once you accept it, you can enter and complete it on your way.”

Hmm, was this the first task after becoming a formal member, as mentioned by Yuan Jun? Meng Qi was not surprised about the task itself but still filled with doubts: “Venerable, from your words, does one have to accept the task to enter this world?”

Isn’t it a part of Immortal Trace?

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao nodded and said, “This is the restriction of the Six Paths. One must accept a related task to pass through the entrance. However, Biyou Palace has some connection with that world and can obtain information and form tasks, so there’s no need to worry about this.”

This scheming Six Paths’ restriction is truly everywhere… Meng Qi muttered to himself in dissatisfaction, dispelling his doubts, and casually asked, “Venerable, since that world is conducive to cultivation, could it be very dangerous?”

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao was silent for a while before replying, “Currently, it is not dangerous. With your strength, you will have more than enough to protect yourself.”

“In the beginning, I was also quite puzzled by this contradictory situation, but I have never been able to find the reason. I can only temporarily let it be. If it weren’t for the fact that this place has always been connected to Biyou Heaven and cannot be changed, I would have already wanted to choose another world as an attachment.”

So that’s how it is… Meng Qi nodded lightly, not paying much attention. If even the Venerable could not figure out this mystery, what use was there for him to care? After all, he was only going there to focus on cultivation and complete the task on the side.

Of course, although he said he wouldn’t dwell on it, he couldn’t help but speculate inwardly. Since that world had been connected to Biyou Heaven for a long time, could it be related to the Investiture of the Gods?

“Venerable, may I ask what the task is?” Meng Qi suppressed his thoughts and asked instead.

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao said, “There is a vast ocean in that world called ‘Xian Jian Chou’. It is always shrouded in mist and lightning, resembling heavenly punishment. There are even gaps leading to unknown places, deterring even those at the Outer Manifestation level from flying through.”

“With my secret assistance, the empire in that world has finally explored a safe route through Xian Jian Chou and discovered a new land. It is rich in resources and inhabited by many monsters, attracting the desires of the royal family, aristocratic families, and sects. Over the years, they have relocated many landless people and desperate criminals there, forming five Qiao provinces and establishing five grand superintendents.”

“When the generals are away, they are not bound by the emperor’s orders. The route is only passable for three months a year, so the five grand superintendents gradually developed aspirations of independence. They conspired with many suppressed heretical sects and the native inhabitants and received covert support from numerous aristocratic families and sects. The royal family sensed something was wrong and sent two powerful imperial envoys to replace the superintendents under the name of righteousness. However, both were killed within Xian Jian Chou before even reaching the Qiao provinces. As for the culprits, the five superintendents denied all involvement.”

“With no other options, the royal family requested our Biyou Palace to send an immortal to escort the third imperial envoy.”

“All rewards from the task will belong to you.”

Based on the Venerable’s description of the strength involved, this task was not too difficult. Meng Qi listened quietly and expressed no objections. The only issue was that he would inevitably appear as “Yuanshi Tianzun” during the mission. “Yuanshi Tianzun of Biyou Palace” sounded strange no matter how he thought about it…

Seeing Meng Qi’s expression, Heavenly Venerable Lingbao signaled that Meng Qi could leave and proceed to Immortal Trace Bazaar to receive the mission.

As Meng Qi was about to step forward, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “Venerable, is the senior at Lanke Temple a Bodhisattva from the lineage of Bhaisajyaguru?”

“Yes, her master once listened to Buddhist teachings under the guidance of Moonlight Bodhisattva.” As the eldest Dharma Body cultivator, Heavenly Venerable Lingbao knew countless secrets.

Moonlight Bodhisattva, one of the attendants of Bhaisajyaguru, was a great Bodhisattva.

“Moonlight Bodhisattva? Just how old is the senior at Lanke Temple?” Meng Qi was quite surprised.

The last recorded mention of Moonlight Bodhisattva was before the chaos of the Demon Buddha.

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao laughed and said, “You don’t know that cultivating the Reward Body is another path to longevity? Their lifespan is often much longer than peers of the same cultivation level. If one can achieve a perfect Reward Body, it transforms into a part of heaven and earth or a certain great Dao, remaining immortal as long as heaven and earth exist.”

“Moonlight Bodhisattva perished during the chaos of the Demon Buddha, but the master of Lanke Temple lived until more than a thousand years later before passing away. Lanke’s Reward Body Pure Land inherited his Pure Land, and the temple’s scriptures have been passed down in an unbroken lineage.”

“Does that mean the senior at Lanke Temple is also over a thousand years old?” Meng Qi asked in astonishment. “If the lifespans of those cultivating the Reward Body are all this long, isn’t it superior to martial cultivation in many ways?”

Moonlight Bodhisattva lived until the time of the Demon Buddha’s chaos, so what about Bhaisajyaguru?

Heavenly Venerable Lingbao shook his head and said, “Cultivating the Reward Body has great limitations. One’s mind, body, and actions must strictly align with the heavenly laws or principles from which the reward originates, and one’s grand vows must not deviate even slightly. Otherwise, one will immediately fall, and the Reward Body will be lost. It is not a path chosen by those seeking freedom like us.”

No wonder he didn’t try to seize the general outline of the palm technique, and no wonder the Dharma Bodies had no doubts about his promises… Meng Qi suddenly understood.

After clarifying this matter, Meng Qi left Biyou Palace and flew to Immortal Trace Bazaar to receive the task. Then he arrived at the central jade pillar to appraise the blood of the Kuiniu and the feather of the Kongque.

After confirming that both items were from the Demon King, Meng Qi proceeded with his original plan: he used eleven drops of Kuiniu’s blood to enhance the Heavenly Wisdom Blade and employed the peacock feather to upgrade the Qingyuan Dao Robe.

After spending three hundred merit points, Tian Zhi Shang became even heavier, several times its previous weight, perfectly matching Meng Qi’s current feel. The lightning also turned cyan-purple, becoming even more powerful. Although it had not yet become a high-grade treasure, it was already very close!

“Tian Zhi Shang, Precious Weapon (Middle Grade), forged with Heaven’s Thunder Red Gold, its handle crafted from thunder-struck spiritual wood, embedded with a cyan lightning stone extracted from the upper layer of an ancient thunder pool, an ancient thunder-character talisman, and eleven drops of Kuiniu Yao King’s blood… It is exceptionally heavy, weighing over five hundred jin… Possesses a certain degree of control over thunder and lightning, valued at five thousand nine hundred virtue points.”

A certain degree of control over other thunder and lightning? Meng Qi looked at the long blade in his hand, with jumping cyan-purple electricity, both surprised and delighted, adapting to its current weight.

As for the Qingyuan Daoist Robe, due to its inferior essence, Meng Qi spent a total of two thousand good deeds to upgrade it to a mid-grade treasure robe. In addition to the abilities of shape-shifting and freely adjusting its size, its original defensive capabilities were also significantly enhanced, particularly in greatly weakening the power of the Five Elements!

It was now valued at four thousand eight hundred good deeds. If not for the Kongque Yao King’s feather being in a semi-damaged state, Meng Qi was even confident he could upgrade it to high-grade—the same applied to Tian Zhi Shang!

As for Liuhuo, after slaying the Moon-Howling Divine Hound, it grew increasingly akin to crimson jade, its latent heat intensifying, now valued at nearly seven thousand merits.

After finishing all this, Meng Qi transformed the robe into black, adjusted his “Yuanshi Tianzun” mask, found the tenth entrance of Biyou Heaven, and stepped into the light layer.