Six Realms’ True Abyss!
Since the incident of Zhenwu’s evil thoughts, Meng Qi’s level of “trust” in the Master of the Six Realms of Reincarnation had rapidly plummeted, reaching an unprecedented low.
Rather than flying, Lord Dangshan’s body was simply large and elongated enough that its lower half remained within the palace while its upper half already rose up, opening its massive mouth revealing venomous fangs, surrounded by black mist, flapping its wings to block out the sky and sun.
Its eyes were as large as side rooms, crimson and icy cold, containing shadows of the white-haired zombie and Luo Shengyi. Its gaping mouth seemed capable of swallowing the entire garden whole, exhaling a foul wind that nearly made people faint, dripping venom that corroded the void itself!
Meng Qi felt completely enveloped by Dangshan’s monstrous mouth from all directions—front, back, left, right, and above. Black shadows flowed with a hissing sound, as if no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape, only watching helplessly as he was “devoured.”
At this moment, he could almost understand the “Underworld Emperor’s” despair when facing the palm strike of the Doumu Yuanjun: his techniques were scattered, protective lights shattered, secret treasures and talismans destroyed, utterly powerless to resist!
Instinctively, Meng Qi thought of the “Ancient Talisman of Void Piercing.” Once activated, unless countered, no one below the level of a Dharma Body could stop it!
But even if he could escape, could Zhiwei, the Little Glutton, Senior Brother Qi, and Old Fifth Zhao also flee?
Gritting his teeth, Meng Qi instantly dismissed the thought, his mind suddenly calm, fearless and worry-free, as if everything had always been peaceful, his body relaxed yet alert, no longer tense.
Whether it was the A-nan’s Broken Precepts Sword Technique or his contemplation of the Dao, after years of battling life and death, Meng Qi’s mental cultivation now bore fruit in this critical moment!
Of course, without that previous mental journey that dispelled negative emotions and eased fatigue, under Dangshan’s terrifying pressure, maintaining composure would have been difficult?
“I am not born with a Zen mind, untouched by defilement; the mind requires constant cleansing!”
The monstrous mouth approached, fangs enormous, sharp, and clear, dripping venom. Meng Qi’s left hand already held the Heart of the Sun Flame, his calm mind unaffected. In an instant, all related matters surfaced in his mind.
“…Inside might hide surviving Dharma Body experts who barely clung to life, but they’ve paid a heavy price, harboring grave dangers. Don’t be intimidated by the term ‘Dharma Body’…” A phrase once spoken by Doumu Yuanjun suddenly echoed in Meng Qi’s heart.
Even Dharma Bodies carry severe dangers, having exploitable weaknesses. Those long dead, like Dangshan revived through Luo’s soul-returning technique, surely had flaws too?
The inconsistency between flesh and spirit, the conflict between the spirit and lingering attachments… Meng Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly intimidated by Dangshan’s pressure, making no move.
The giant serpent’s body was partially covered in feathers, exuding an indescribable ferocity, its crimson eyes coldly staring at Meng Qi as if regarding a corpse.
Suddenly, Meng Qi’s body expanded, merging and condensing Daoist principles, gathering primal energy, instantly growing several zhang tall, resembling a heaven-and-earth pillar.
Yet compared to Dangshan’s true form, he was like a blade of grass facing a towering tree, utterly insignificant.
At that moment, Meng Qi’s expression turned solemn, majestic and dignified, one hand raised, the other lowered.
Behind him suddenly emerged a golden Buddha statue, radiant as glazed glass, seated in meditation with legs crossed, filling heaven and earth, emanating great purity, compassion, bliss, and wisdom.
Golden petals rained from this Buddha, accompanied by drifting sutras, one finger pointing to the sky, the other touching the earth, voice thunderous:
“Only I am honored in heaven and earth!”
After much time and deep insight, Meng Qi had finally grasped its superficial aspects, capable of normally unleashing the first move of the Tathagata Palm: “Only I am Honored!”
This palm strike embodied wisdom, Buddha-nature, and spirit. Not belonging to this shore, nor the other, nor the middle stream, it directly pointed to the mind, thus having no conventional form; even when manifesting as the Immortal Seven Illusions, it possessed characteristics that normal defenses couldn’t block!
Meng Qi also stepped forward, carving the sky and earth with a solemn declaration: “Only I am honored in heaven and earth!”
At this critical juncture, with companions nearby, he had no intention of holding back, employing a variation of “Only I am Honored”—a technique that awakened the opponent’s true self!
Boom!
The shadows of Luo Shengyi and the white-haired zombie within Dangshan’s eyes suddenly became tangible, black mist rising from their decaying heads.
Who am I? Who is me?
Only I am Honored—honored who?
Three conflicting thoughts clashed fiercely, causing the serpent to falter, stunned, its dripping venom corroding clouds into green-stained land.
Although Dangshan’s attachment soon regained dominance, for Meng Qi, the opportunity had already emerged!
He raised his sword with his right hand and directly activated the Heart of the Sun Flame with his left!
A sun seemed to rise within the golden Buddha’s mind, radiating boundless light, illuminating every part of the serpent’s body—limitless light, limitless life!
The solar radiance pierced through the serpent’s surrounding black mist, illuminating its pus-dripping, decaying body, as roaring flames surged forth, engulfing it.
A deafening shriek shook heaven and earth. Dangshan’s massive body thrashed wildly, collapsing the palace, stirring winds and clouds, nearly sweeping Meng Qi away.
Yet it still lived!
Half its body charred, yin energy mostly dissipated, yet it remained alive, still exuding terrifying aura!
“No wonder it nearly achieved the True Serpent Body of the Celestial Snake.” Meng Qi, having exhausted his strength, fully appreciated the formidable physical power of a monster at this level. Even a single strike from a divine weapon couldn’t prove fatal!
Having been a zombie for years, Dangshan’s overall power had declined to merely peak Outer Manifestation, yet its physical strength remained formidable!
Meanwhile, Ruan Yushu silently took out the Demon-Revealing Mirror, its bluish mirror surface reflecting General Yin’s form.
Mid-flight, General Yin suddenly froze, yet the surrounding yin winds continued to swirl, teeming with malevolent spirits, two of which had reached the fifth or sixth heavenly level!
Seeing this, they didn’t hesitate, loyally blocking for General Yin, completely disregarding that it had killed them.
As the ghostly figure moved, a flash of sword light—another fleeting yet brilliant strike!
The sword moved with such swiftness that everything around appeared sluggish. Pure focus made time seem to fly; Jiang Zhiwei, though striking later, arrived first—her blade piercing the two ghostly minions before General Yin. Her sword qi remained restrained, never unleashed.
At the same time, Qi Zhengyan’s sword flashed repeatedly, dark chaos transforming into a cocoon, sealing some of the malevolent ghosts inside, temporarily halting their attack on Jiang Zhiwei.
Zhao Heng did the same, his sword chopping and fists striking, manifesting as a fire dragon, whipping up fierce winds, suppressing yin evils with imperial qi!
Puh!
Jiang Zhiwei’s White Rainbow Piercing the Sun Sword struck General Yin’s forehead. Even with its strong body and hard skull, it could only slightly resist before being pierced by a near-top-grade treasure sword.
The sword energy erupted, and General Yin let out a deafening shriek, as if something had exploded inside it. The Yin winds recoiled, and the ghostly possession completely took over.
One by one, the Yin Ghosts sacrificed themselves, buying General Yin a fleeting moment of respite. A glow emanated from its surface as it activated a treasure, morphing into a White Tiger that barely managed to block the sword strike. With a swift lash of its tiger tail, it forced Jiang Zhiwei to retreat.
Holding its head, it frantically leaped away, seemingly out of its senses, darting east and west. Clearly, it had been severely wounded by the sword energy, its mind gravely damaged. If not for the ghost blocking twice, it might have died on the spot.
Its strength was indeed inferior to the Great Roc!
Meng Qi could no longer maintain the Heaven-and-Earth Imitation Technique. He intended to circulate the Tianxin Woyi Method again, using the divine weapon core once more to kill Dangshan and see if he could help Luo’s spirit escape.
However, Dangshan, an ancient powerful demon, even with only its attachment remaining, was not easily dealt with. It withdrew its body, spat out foul winds and venom, and manifested the Celestial Snake True Body, ignoring the flames, forming two outer defensive layers to block subsequent attacks, enduring the Solar True Fire purely through physical strength!
Simultaneously, it rapidly retreated, escaping the attack range!
At this sight, Meng Qi’s thoughts raced. The Yellow Spring Bone Hand required a direct strike to take effect. Even if he could break through after unleashing the explosive power of Tianxin Woyi, he wouldn’t have enough strength left to execute the Yellow Spring Bone Hand again. The Ice Eye Crystal’s effect countered that of the Solar Flame Heart—using it now would extinguish the true fire instead, inadvertently aiding Dangshan. Should he resort to the Calming Sea Pearl for a direct attack?
After a brief calculation, he realized the Calming Sea Pearl might only break through two layers of defense, insufficient to kill Dangshan. By the time Jiang Zhiwei could assist, Dangshan had already temporarily fled, making pursuit impossible!
His mind flashed with a plan. Gathering his remaining strength, he signaled Jiang Zhiwei and the others:
“Run fast!”
Jiang Zhiwei glanced at the frenziedly fleeing General Yin, then grabbed Meng Qi’s shoulder without hesitation, rushing forward with him. Ruan Yushu, Qi Zhengyan, and Zhao Heng followed closely.
Meng Qi quietly handed the Ice Eye Crystal to Jiang Zhiwei, whispering telepathically: “Once Dangshan extinguishes the Solar Flame and pursues, I’ll use Tianxin Woyi and the Calming Sea Pearl to withstand a blow. The others will distract it, while you secretly activate this to take its life.”
While they couldn’t kill Dangshan during full defense and escape, they had a chance when it attacked.
“Alright!” Jiang Zhiwei’s expression remained calm, showing no fear.
After informing Ruan Yushu and the others of the plan, the five continued fleeing, fully committed to the act. If they could successfully disengage and return victorious, that would be best. Meng Qi hated to consume divine weapon cores; repeated use would degrade their quality, making it impossible to forge divine weapons!
The cloud bridge remained long as Meng Qi and the others ran frantically, occasionally hearing Dangshan’s burning shrieks from behind, seemingly not pursuing.
The camp was in sight, heavenly soldiers visible, when suddenly Meng Qi felt an extreme sense of danger!
“Defend!” he roared, activating the Tianxin Woyi Method. Behind him emerged a chaotic, indescribable Dharma image, seemingly without top or bottom, front or back. Yet vaguely, it resembled a Daoist sitting cross-legged.
The Daoist opened his eyes, Meng Qi’s body grew larger, and a blade of light flashed from his knife, slicing through chaos and sky!
Dang!
A massive tail struck, colliding head-on with the blade.
Like most snakes, Dangshan hadn’t pursued openly but faked shrieks, lurking close for a deadly strike!
Meng Qi spat blood, but the brief obstruction allowed Zhao Heng to activate the Heaven-Earth Black-Yellow Jade Tower.
Crack!
The tower shattered, consuming the tail’s remaining force, sparing Meng Qi from serious injury.
Jiang Zhiwei seized the moment and activated the Ice Eye Crystal. A surge of icy blue water spread out, freezing the white clouds in its path as it rushed toward the serpent’s tail.
The giant tail froze inch by inch, rapidly spreading. Dangshan shrieked again.
Yet plans changed faster than expected. Meng Qi could no longer strike with the Calming Sea Pearl, and the others lacked the strength to activate it.
Jiang Zhiwei activated the Sword-Washing Pavilion’s desperate technique, her aura intensifying, ready to receive the Calming Sea Pearl from Meng Qi. At that moment, a crisp sound echoed from afar—Dangshan, with only half its body remaining, had already slithered closer.
It had severed its tail to escape!
In that case, the Calming Sea Pearl might miss it!
“Dive into the pond and escape through the Milky Way,” Ruan Yushu said, glancing at the nearby pond. Her expression remained calm, fearless.
With no other choice, Meng Qi dove first, instructing Jiang Zhiwei to find a hidden spot at the pond’s bottom to hide, waiting for Dangshan’s ambush.
He also handed the Ancient Talisman of Void Piercing to Jiang Zhiwei. They would use the ambush opportunity to escape through the Milky Way, while after the ambush, if Dangshan still lived, Jiang Zhiwei would use this talisman to flee.
Underwater, the five quickly gathered at the bottom. The pond water had been disturbed by the previous battle, rippling continuously.
The water swayed, and suddenly Meng Qi saw the chariot drawn by celestial horses gently vibrating, as if triggered by the residual energy of the earlier battle!
The sealed door slowly opened.
Damn… Meng Qi felt like cursing. Just when escape seemed possible, this change occurred—who knew what deity might be hiding inside!
The door opened, revealing an empty interior.
Empty?
Empty!
Meng Qi was extremely surprised. The chariot, seemingly prepared for escape, was actually empty inside!
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