The shadows of blood multiplied, converging into a vast sea that surged toward the Du Ren Qin (Salvation Zither), dyeing half the sky crimson. The azure ocean reflected the scarlet glow, creating a bizarre and eerie sight.
On the opposing side, Meng Qi grew to an enormous size, towering over ten zhang tall. His limbs and head radiated profound principles, momentarily overlapping his physical form, making it hard to distinguish between the two. Every movement of his seemed capable of stirring winds and clouds, transforming heaven and earth.
Moreover, he exuded an overbearing aura that made his figure, though small against the boundless sky, appear as if it could uphold the heavens and fill the cosmos. This left the Left Path cultivators, who had just recovered from the effects of the “Solar Collapse,” with racing hearts and pounding pulses, too frightened to take another step forward, as if a mere glance from him could kill them.
Added to this was the spreading power of the Blood God Pearl and the High Qianyuan Sword Worm Talisman activated by Fengdian Divine Envoy, prompting many to consider retreat. These foes were ruthless, willing to use anything without hesitation. Didn’t they witness how Ruan Bogao barely held on, while the monk Jiegu and Liuji True Demon, along with Wanshi True Monarch, fled in disarray?
Advancing further might result in decapitation!
Sigh, look at Kuang Dao (Fierce Blade) and Suan Jin Cangsheng (Calculating All Beings); having just crossed the first Celestial Ladder, they already displayed such might. Truly, comparing people can be infuriating!
Meng Qi, having invoked the Fa Tian Xiang Di (Mimicking Heaven and Earth) technique, now radiated the power of the sixth Heaven stage. In his right hand, he gripped a small, pitch-black banner, channeling power into it as if it cost him nothing, and slashed forward with sword-like momentum.
He hesitated not, calculated nothing, nor considered anything else. A true man, in his stance toward life, may possess a greedy nature in daily affairs, but at critical moments, he must act decisively, freely, and with a clear conscience, seeking satisfaction in vengeance and gratitude!
He didn’t know how others might be, but he himself was such a person.
Hua!
Red mist filled the sky, and water sounds echoed from all directions. A vast and primordial aura emerged, its terrifying pressure causing many external scene experts to tremble and lose composure. Their thoughts slowed, minds going blank, and some even failed to connect with the forces of heaven and earth, plummeting straight into the sea.
Another divine treasure material?
No, this terrifying sensation was that of a divine treasure itself!
A genuine divine treasure!
They gazed upward in confusion, seeing Meng Qi, whose figure filled the heavens and earth, swinging a small, pitch-black banner covered in cracks, exuding red mist. The entire sky darkened, shimmering with near-black waves, as if the sea and sky had inverted, clouds vanishing, gales turning into waves, and all principles of the world being rewritten.
Hua!
The small black banner emitted boundless rays of light, forming an endless expanse of Xuan (black) water. The ocean below abruptly emptied, revealing its seabed filled with strange objects and those who had fallen into the sea moments earlier.
It had literally drawn in an entire sea!
The Xuan water surged, engulfing the sky, submerging metal, wood, water, and earth, swallowing everything beyond water itself.
Peng!
The Xuan water clashed with the sea of blood shadows, producing a faint impact sound. Then, a deafening roar erupted, shaking everyone’s ears numb and their minds ringing, forcing them downward by dozens of zhang.
At the same time, Wang Siyuan’s hand held an ancient, plain divining rod made of rotten wood—an object easily forgotten at first glance.
He cast the rod toward the center, landing it between the sea of blood shadows and the Xuan water—precisely where the Du Ren Qin lay!
Hong!
The crimson and black forces collided, surging tens of thousands of zhang high. But the blood shadows were soon swallowed by the Xuan water, vanishing without a trace.
Hong!
The collision of these two terrifying forces hurled the Du Ren Qin skyward, as it struggled to dispel the residual influences and slowly descended.
Hong!
The Xuan water assimilated the blood sea, rapidly spreading toward the Blood God Pearl.
Though a divine treasure material was powerful, it still fell short compared to a true divine treasure—even if the Xuan Water Calming Banner was tattered and no longer at its prime.
Seeing this, Fengdian Divine Envoy, whose eyes seemed eternally devoid of emotion, revealed a glimmer of fear. He formed a hand seal with his left hand, and the scripture in the divine figure behind him suddenly flipped open.
The divine figure collapsed, transforming into a vortex that swallowed Fengdian and the Blood God Pearl.
Hua! The Xuan water surged through, leaving only water behind—nothing else remained!
Far away, Fengdian reappeared, his divine figure dimmed, his aura weakened. His eyes held greed, anger, and hatred. The Blood God Pearl in his hand had been tainted by the Xuan water, now riddled with cracks, seemingly only a couple more strikes away from shattering completely.
Meng Qi was flung backward, unable to maintain the Fa Tian Xiang Di technique, reverting to his original form. Though the Xuan Water Calming Banner was powerful, it consumed immense energy. At this moment, he felt he couldn’t even lift a finger.
Witnessing this, Jiuzhi Lansue Gao Qianyuan, who had barely withdrawn his sword worm talisman to defend himself during the collision between the Xuan water and the blood sea, laughed heartily and dashed toward the Du Ren Qin. He casually flicked a sword beam toward Meng Qi’s forehead.
Meng Qi clenched his teeth and prepared to unleash the Sacrifice Body Technique. Initially, due to his cultivation level, he had only obtained the preliminary stage of this technique from Shaolin and sold it to the Six Dao for a mere two or three hundred Good Karma Points. Now that he had reached the External Scenery realm, he wasn’t sure how effective it would be—but he had no choice but to take the gamble!
Meanwhile, Ruan Bogao, having regained his sword worm talisman and escaped mortal danger due to Gao Qianyuan’s withdrawal, spared no effort in playing the zither to disrupt Meng Qi. Divine treasures were vital to a clan’s rise and fall; without them, there would be no safety for the family.
For ordinary noble families, lacking divine treasures meant little, as long as their status and resources matched their strength. But Ruan Clan had made countless enemies and accumulated countless coveted resources and techniques along the way. Without a divine treasure to protect them, it was hard to predict what fate awaited them. Even with many allies, they couldn’t help repeatedly—after all, mud could never be propped up against a wall!
The higher one climbs, the colder it gets. Once failure occurs, it’s hard to recover gracefully!
As Ruan Bogao acted, Gao Qianyuan immediately summoned his sword worm talisman to block the zither’s sound, while continuing his dash toward the Du Ren Qin. Below, the Left Path experts were either injured or fleeing, scattering like birds and beasts, freeing up the Ruan Clan’s external scene experts. But due to the vast gap in cultivation, they couldn’t stop Gao Qianyuan.
Only Fengdian Divine Envoy refused to give up, rushing back quickly, eyeing both the Du Ren Qin and Meng Qi’s Xuan Water Calming Banner.
Meanwhile, the Du Ren Qin, now flying far from the Ruan Clan, suddenly halted. The ancient divining rod landed on it, shattering into various hexagrams that suppressed the ancestral god’s aura.
Already sensing danger from the divine-level power clash, the Du Ren Qin was on the verge of awakening again. Now aided by the ancient divining rod, its aura surged, ready to break free from its bindings and cleanse itself.
Fengdian Divine Envoy and Gao Qianyuan withdrew their gazes from each other, abandoning any thoughts of mutual conflict. They had to suppress the Du Ren Qin before it shed the ancestral god’s influence; otherwise, their struggle would become a mockery.
Their techniques—Wuxiang Sword Worm, Fengdian Divine Figure, Yuan Qi Sea, and Pure White Lotus—manifested fully. The two experts unleashed their full strength, one transforming into countless tiny worms, the other extending a colossal hand capable of crushing the heavens, both aiming to seize the Du Ren Qin and prevent its awakening.
Meng Qi, drained of all strength, activated the Yin Yang Seal and merged it with the Undying Seal Art, devouring the Yuan Qi Sea to recover desperately. He had tried the She Shen Jue earlier, but it had no effect—this technique required further refinement!
The deep-blue worms and the ethereal white lotus hand were about to grasp the Du Ren Qin, suppressing its aura, when suddenly, from below the Ruan ancestral home, came a distant, ethereal melody.
Not produced by metal or wood, not by silk or strings, not by any ordinary zither, this sound resonated with the universe itself, using principles as its strings to play the “Voice of the Dao!”
Ding Dong!
One of the Du Ren Qin’s strings vibrated, seemingly resonating, joining in the accompaniment.
Meng Qi sensed it and felt both joy and surprise—had the little glutton broken through to the external scene? Had her “Innate Zither Heart” finally awakened?
Though not an instant transcendence without heavenly tribulation, as long as one could uphold their path with perseverance, willpower, opportunity, and insight, one could steadily progress. A late start didn’t mean perpetual lag!
The zither heart stirred the principles, like flowing water over mountains, beautiful and pleasant.
The Du Ren Qin seemed to catch the mood or recognize the Ruan Clan’s aura, vibrating another string.
Dang!
The sound of a bell shook the Three Realms, instantly freezing the ancestral god’s aura. Countless sword worms and the white lotus hand both hesitated momentarily.
The Du Ren Qin’s aura completely overpowered the ancestral god’s. Its strings vibrated more and more, in harmonious order, forming a melody.
Droplets of deep-blue liquid were expelled, and the divine treasure’s aura erupted into the sky!
Fengdian Divine Envoy and Jiuzhi Lansue Gao Qianyuan simultaneously narrowed their pupils, not even hesitating as they turned to flee.
As their escape lights flared, the zither sound changed. A five-colored, noble phoenix flapped its wings, catching up to Gao Qianyuan in an instant.
Gao Qianyuan sensed a deadly threat. Fortunately, he had recalled his sword worm talisman in advance, placing it before the phoenix.
At the same time, a dragon’s roar echoed, a true dragon’s claw reaching out, pulling Fengdian Divine Envoy back mid-flight!
Fengdian Divine Envoy gritted his teeth and once again hurled the Blood God Pearl forward, detonating it directly!
Hong!
Blood shadows surged skyward, surrounding the dragon’s illusion, allowing Fengdian to escape. His body was riddled with bloody wounds, gravely injured.
Peng!
Countless worms swarmed, engulfing the phoenix. Gao Qianyuan clutched his talisman and dove into the sea, fleeing for his life.
The might of a divine treasure was evident—once awakened, it was nearly impossible to seize!
Seeing this, Meng Qi exhaled deeply. Deliberately, he unfurled the Xuan Water Calming Banner, letting the remaining external scene experts see its tattered state and near-destruction, warning future schemers that unless they could kill him outright, the banner would be consumed, leaving them empty-handed.
Compared to divine treasures, divine treasure materials held far less allure. Even the incomplete Ding Hai Pearl had been traded by Gao Qianyuan for the Dongji Changsheng Pill. More importantly, almost no one knew the true origin and purpose of the Yellow Springs Hand Bone.
The Du Ren Qin descended, returning to Ruan Bogao’s arms.
The wind calmed, and the waves stilled.
……
That evening, at the Ruan family waterside pavilion.
Elder Ruan, his head wrapped in a white cloth, admired Meng Qi before him and nodded slightly: “This time, if not for you using the divine treasure to bring it near destruction, the Du Ren Qin might never have returned to the Ruan Clan. Such a great favor cannot go unrepaid.”
Even with the Law Body and Luo Shu, their return from the trench to Langya had taken some time, by which point the incident had already concluded.
He paused, then smiled candidly: “Though I’ve given several divine treasure materials to the Wang family, our clan has passed down treasures through generations. Feel free to choose anything you desire.”
Refining divine treasure materials into true divine treasures was a difficult task. Even with a Law Body’s intervention, there was a significant chance of failure. The Ruan Clan had attempted it many times in the past, destroying many materials without success in creating a second divine treasure.
Meng Qi thought for a moment and smiled: “Senior, why be so courteous? If you truly wish to repay me, I only ask for one item and one promise.”
Seeing the Ruan Clan’s heavy losses this time, he felt reluctant to request treasures, intending to seek other benefits instead.
“What item? What promise?” Elder Ruan did not frown, seeming willing to pay any price.
“The item is the residual ancestral god’s aura expelled by the Du Ren Qin. The promise is that, should I ever face danger, I ask you to aid me once with the Du Ren Qin.” Meng Qi said solemnly.
Whether the ancestral god’s aura could repair the Xuan Water Calming Banner was unknown, but an unconditional assist from a half-Law Body with a divine treasure would be invaluable.
“Good!” Elder Ruan agreed without hesitation. “Why just once? Ten times, a hundred times—if you’re in danger, the Ruan Clan will always support you!”
Indeed, the Ruan Clan was filled with literary and emotional depth… Meng Qi wasn’t sure whether to praise or silently mock.
Elder Ruan retrieved several droplets of deep-blue liquid and handed them to Meng Qi in a jade vial, chuckling: “Alright, no need to chat with this old man. Ershiyi Niang is waiting for you at the Langhuan Pavilion.”
Meng Qi bowed and took his leave, following a maid’s guidance through the courtyard to the Langhuan Pavilion, located just outside Ruan Yushu’s boudoir, where the sound of waves harmonized naturally into a zither-like melody.
Ruan Yushu was dressed in a white robe, resembling a fairy descended from a painting. She held a food box in her hands, and upon noticing Meng Qi stepping into the pavilion, she opened it and retrieved a plate containing two date-red pastries.
“Yun Ni Hai Zao Cake. These sea dates are hard to find, and substituting with other dates lacks their fragrance. Only two remain in the house, which I’ve preserved within a formation.” Ruan Yushu said coolly.
Then she took out plate after plate:
“Dragon Claw Through Clouds…”
“Monster Crab Soup…”
“Clear Stewed Bamboo Shoot Hearts…”
“Five Ways to Cook Dragon Fish…”
Meng Qi smiled, watching and listening as the Langhuan Pavilion’s stone table filled up.
After finishing, Ruan Yushu lifted her head, her eyes clear and sharp, her teeth gently biting her lower lip:
“Hurry and taste them. Their ingredients are rare and hard to obtain. I… I usually don’t even dare to eat them myself.”
Her gaze was a mix of joy and reluctance.
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