“It forbids the use of secret treasures, talismans, or primary materials for divine weapons…” Meng Qi’s heart sank. Without even considering the specific mission details, this restriction alone justified the label of a deadly task, sufficient to eliminate the vast majority of wealthy and generous participants who had accumulated substantial resources but limited cultivation advancement. His own “combat power” would likely suffer a loss of over fifty percent.
Restricted to personal martial arts skills, weapons, Daoist robes, and healing pills, he instinctively glanced at Ruan Yushu, Jiang Zhiwei, and others, pondering inwardly whether he could temporarily “borrow” a divine weapon.
His previous deadly task had left an extremely profound impression, making him feel that no amount of caution could be excessive.
To obtain a divine weapon usually required an extraordinary stroke of luck; otherwise, one had to resort to clever methods.
Chonghe Daoist and Hanbing Fairy were both reincarnators. Borrowing a divine weapon from them would entail certain restrictions, making it scarcely easier than obtaining one directly…
He wondered whether a divine weapon in hand would count as his own if he were pulled away while comprehending it. Probably not, in eight or nine cases out of ten. Even if it did, considering Zhiwei’s and the “little glutton’s” personalities, they would never risk endangering their sect’s or family’s foundation even if he perished…
Could he seek assistance from the Ruan family and temporarily entrust the “little glutton” with the divine weapon, leveraging their past goodwill? Setting aside the risk of exposing the matter of reincarnation (lunhui), the Duren Qin was an extraordinary divine weapon. None of them had any understanding of music, lacked the necessary cultivation techniques, and were utterly incapable of controlling it. Moreover, there was simply no way the “little glutton” could leap from the first heavenly realm directly to the fourth within a single year…
Lao Zhao was under strict surveillance by the Political Affairs Hall, making it impossible for him to even approach a divine weapon. Brother Qi had just advanced, comprehending the sect’s guardian divine sword and receiving the “Xianshou Changsheng Jing.” There wouldn’t be a second chance anytime soon…
As for Master Lu Da, he always received his help. If he pushed further and asked to borrow a divine weapon, he would definitely be refused…
He had once saved Abbot Kongwen’s life and helped the Shaolin Temple; could he borrow the “Ananda Blade”?
Thinking about this divine weapon, Meng Qi was extremely reluctant. Moreover, although Abbot Kongwen would repay his debt of gratitude, he would never directly lend the temple’s most treasured artifact. At best, he might accompany Meng Qi wielding the Ananda Blade, but that wouldn’t really help Meng Qi…
“External aids can be relied upon but not completely depended on. In the end, martial cultivation still depends entirely on oneself,” Jiang Zhiwei suddenly remarked.
Startled by her words, Meng Qi suddenly felt a bit sweaty. Just now, he had indeed felt somewhat invaded by heart demons, obsessively thinking only about divine weapons.
This deadly task must be designed to test one’s own abilities!
Ruan Yushu, Qi Zhengyan, and Zhao Heng wore various expressions, seemingly recalling their own experiences with deadly tasks.
The grand voice of the Lord of the Six Dao Reincarnation drifted again:
“Mission Evaluation: Ruan Yushu, Zhao Heng, and Qi Zhengyan receive ‘Medium,’ each earning four hundred merits. Jiang Zhiwei and Zhen Ding receive ‘Good,’ each earning six hundred merits and one lottery draw opportunity. The lottery scope includes below Dharmakaya and above Acupoint Opening.”
A lottery box appeared. Jiang Zhiwei showed interest and shook it. Light and shadows rotated, various items flashing by inside. Gradually slowing down, it finally settled on a pill.
Tu Huo Na Xuan Pill!
“Only one healing pill can be used during the deadly task, so the more valuable the better. This pill will be used for daily purposes,” Jiang Zhiwei said, pinching the pill between her fingers and stroking it.
Meng Qi collected his thoughts and shook the lottery box, watching various items like secret manuals, pills, and weapons flash by.
Finally, a pair of straw shoes appeared before him.
Qing Jing Straw Shoes!
These were straw shoes of treasure-grade quality, worth one thousand seven hundred merits, capable of resisting water and fire, albeit to a limited extent.
Meng Qi, possessing the Eight and Nine Arts, found the straw shoes dispensable. Since it was merely the result of the lottery draw, he casually put them on and looked around at everyone, saying, “Let’s first convert our gains into merits, then redeem the specific mission information, and finally consider further redemptions.”
“Alright,” Jiang Zhiwei and others had no objections.
Since Zhao Heng didn’t know Meng Qi’s identity in the Immortal Trace, despite having the backing of Lingbao Tianzun, Meng Qi dared not openly recruit under his true identity. He merely secretly transmitted voice messages to Ruan Yushu and Qi Zhengyan, asking them to stay back briefly after completing the redemption.
As for Zhao Heng, Meng Qi planned to approach him later under the identity of “Yuanshi Tianzun” for a “conversation.” For now, the gains should first be converted into distributed merits and not left for the “Immortal Trace.”
Each item was placed into the central light column, and the Lord of the Six Dao Reincarnation announced the corresponding prices:
“Half-damaged demon core (yaodan), remnants, and treasure-grade items from Mang Xianfeng… A total of two thousand seven hundred merits.”
“Remnants of minor demons… Total of four hundred and fifty merits.”
“Guardian Bridge Tianbing’s halberd, treasure-grade item (superior), half-damaged… Can only be exchanged for one thousand five hundred merits.”
“Wild Bull Spirit’s rake… Can be exchanged for one thousand six hundred merits.”
“Wild Bull Spirit’s blood, horns, shattered bezoar, and demon core… Total of five thousand two hundred merits.”
“Wild Bull Spirit’s hide… Can be exchanged for two thousand six hundred merits.”
“Wild Bull Spirit’s stomach and collected rare treasures, herbs, and pills… Total of ten thousand merits.”
Since the rare treasures collected by Te Chushi included items needed by Ruan Yushu and Qi Zhengyan for cultivation, each of them selected two items, priced at one thousand five hundred merits per item.
Adding the original three hundred merits, after distribution, Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei, and Zhao Heng each received four thousand eight hundred and seventy, while Qi Zhengyan and Ruan Yushu received one thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Looking at his redemption jade tablet, Meng Qi found his total merits had reached twelve thousand four hundred and seventy. Suddenly feeling a bit uneasy, he realized he had initially invested only over a thousand merits, and now the returns were nearly eight or nine times that. Meanwhile, Brother Qi had started with nearly ten thousand merits, and now had only nine thousand two hundred and seventy, not to mention the consumed secret treasures, seemingly suffering a significant loss.
Should he take out the merits originally reserved for task failure? He slightly furrowed his brows.
At this moment, Jiang Zhiwei smiled and said, “What are you worrying about? Are you distressed over consuming two divine weapon materials this time?”
Understanding her meaning through her subtle words, Meng Qi knew she meant his significant consumption wasn’t worth dwelling on, and Qi Zhengyan and others wore calm expressions, clearly sharing the same thought.
Thinking again about how he hadn’t cared about losses in previous instances, Meng Qi immediately steadied his mind, his face brightening with a smile: “Let’s redeem the mission information first.”
Even if the deadly mission arrives in a year, one should not be gloomy or anxious, allowing such emotions to disrupt one’s mental state and hinder the progress of cultivation!
After each paid eighty merits, the Lord of the Six Dao Reincarnation announced without emotional fluctuation:
The leader of the Red Army, “Zhen Shi Tian Wang” Du Huaishang, has become the supreme ruler of the eighteen rebel factions. His military power dominates the southeast, posing a direct threat to the imperial family. Meanwhile, the imperial court gathers elite forces and deploys troops for a punitive expedition. The two sides now stand in confrontation at the Nu River.
“Main mission: Join the rebels, assist Du Huaishang in defeating the imperial army’s main force, cross the river to approach the capital. Success rewards four thousand five hundred merits, unlocks more permissions, failure results in elimination!”
Side Mission: Factional Confrontation – Eliminate Imperial Faction Lunhui Zhes.
Rewards:
– Eliminating a top-tier expert: 1,000 faction merits (failure deducts equivalent merits).
– Eliminating a peerless expert: 3,000 faction merits (failure deducts equivalent merits).
– Eliminating a Grandmaster: 6,000 faction merits (failure deducts 6,000 merits).
Additional Reward: Members of the victorious faction will receive an extra Lunhui Fu talisman.
Penalty: Those with insufficient merits by the end will be eliminated!
The cold tone seemed to describe something trivial, yet Meng Qi could already sense the smell of blood and death.
This second deadly task was indeed worthy of its name. With secret treasures and other items sealed, it even added a factional confrontation mission. He wondered whether the opposing side was also in a deadly task, and whether their secret treasures and talismans were also sealed?
Their eyes met, and suddenly Meng Qi furrowed his brows: “Du Huaishang’s divine and demonic world… I remember offending someone suspected to be ‘Xuehai Luosha’ last time.”
Their killing of the cult, which involved reincarnators, had prevented Du Huaishang from capturing the so-called Patriarch’s “reincarnation.”
“This deadly task is even deadlier than we imagined,” Jiang Zhiwei couldn’t help but show a bitter smile when Meng Qi mentioned this.
Beyond the main storyline, there was also factional conflict and the suspected mental presence of a Dharmakaya—the “Patriarch”!
Ruan Yushu pursed her lips: “No matter how hard or deadly it is, we must face it, give it our all, and only by placing ourselves in a desperate situation can we survive.”
“Right, feeling discouraged, suffering, or cursing won’t help,” Meng Qi firmly said with a smile. “I suggest everyone gathers materials related to the Dongji Changsheng Pill upon returning. We should refine two batches before the mission. This pill is practically the best healing pill for the Outer Scenery realm.”
Even though its main purpose wasn’t healing.
“Hmm, merits accumulated before the mission should be used for refining pills and redeeming armor,” Zhao Heng took a deep breath. “Now, merits must be spent on the most worthwhile things, not wasting this year.”
“I plan to redeem rare treasures and no longer worry too much about the Political Affairs Hall, striving to approach the first heavenly ladder during the deadly task!”
Whether it’s pills, armor, or enhancing treasure-grade weapons, their usefulness in the coming year might be limited. Therefore, it’s better to save them for before the next mission, allocating resources effectively to maximize strength and cultivation advancement!
His choice was the most appropriate, as his current techniques were sufficient, and he couldn’t redeem Dharmakaya techniques anyway. It would be better to quickly advance his cultivation level and delve deeper into the Jing Shi Shu, thus mastering a Dharmakaya ultimate technique.
Seeing Zhao Heng’s decisive choice, Meng Qi and others said no more, watching him redeem rare treasures like “Zhen Long Tu,” spending twelve thousand one hundred and fifty merits.
Ruan Yushu did the same. Having just stabilized her cultivation base, she hoped to ascend to the second heavenly realm within a year. In addition to the rare treasures provided by her family, she needed to gather more. After all, she could frequently comprehend the Langhuan Twelve Divine Sounds and Lie Tian Bian Di Qu, striving to grasp additional techniques as her cultivation advanced!
After a moment’s consideration, she exchanged for four relatively common rare treasures, including the “Shenlou Tianyin Shi,” leaving only three hundred and ninety merits.
Qi Zhengyan was somewhat silent, seemingly pondering what items to redeem. Meng Qi then looked at Jiang Zhiwei: “Zhiwei, are you planning to upgrade the Baihong Guanri Sword to the highest quality?”
“Yes, but not directly,” Jiang Zhiwei nodded. “I want to redeem the sword-nurturing wine, spend a year tempering and elevating the sword, and use its enhancement to improve my own cultivation. What about you?”
The Baihong Guanri Sword was already infinitely close to the highest quality!
Meng Qi hesitated slightly.
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