It was easy for Gao Fei to be discovered, so Meng Qi and the other two fled into the thick mountains and forests. After the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, they had already left Snake Mountain far behind.
Only at this point did Meng Qi slightly relax. If he had not swiftly defeated his enemies and scared off Blood Infant Venerable and Desiccated Bone Demon Lord, had he delayed even two or three more breaths, the Beast God would have arrived to join the battle. Without expending significant effort, it would have been difficult to escape, let alone take Xiao Ru and Song Bingde along with him.
Under conditions of restraint and support, the weakness of Longxiong Huang’s (Dragon-Bear Beast) low intelligence would be masked, allowing its formidable physical strength and terrifying power to be fully displayed. Each strike could endanger him. Blood Infant Venerable and Desiccated Bone Demon Lord were different from the Beast God; one came from the Nine Evil Sects, with mysterious techniques and terrifying treasures, while the other was born with unique abilities, capable of killing with a single strike. Meng Qi couldn’t continuously endure their attacks like he could with the Beast God’s ordinary techniques—he could only occasionally do so. Thus, with Longxiong Huang in front and Desiccated Bone Demon Lord and Blood Infant Venerable attacking from the side, it was no less challenging than facing an actual half-Transcendent Master.
Moreover, Old Lady Farewell might have used this opportunity to capture Xiao Ru and Song Bingde, disturbing Meng Qi’s focus in battle.
Fortunately, with his rich experience and well-planned strategy, Meng Qi had perfectly executed his battle intent, avoiding such a predicament!
Xiao Ru stole a glance at Meng Qi. Even in the Southern Wilderness, she had heard of the first person in 100,000 years to endure four heavenly tribulations, yet she hadn’t anticipated him to possess such elegance, demeanor, and charisma—truly dominating the Southern Wilderness with a tiger-like majesty.
As their fleeing pace slowed, Xiao Ru glanced at Song Bingde, then spoke to Meng Qi in a tone much more mature than before: “Actually, the Everlifers cannot truly live forever.”
It seemed she was about to fulfill her promise.
“Hmm?” Meng Qi’s expression remained unchanged.
If the Everlifers could achieve immortality so easily, why would the ancient experts bother with their struggles?
Song Bingde, however, looked astonished: “All just bluffing?”
Xiao Ru glanced at Song Bingde again: “Not exactly bluffing. At least they can live much, much longer than ordinary Quasi-World experts.”
After carefully considering her words, she continued: “With every reincarnation, one’s identification with their former self weakens a little. After a certain number of times, when looking back at the original self, it feels like a stranger—possessing their memories, yet with no sense of ‘I am me’ or ‘he is me.’ It’s more like inheriting a legacy, including the memories. This situation repeats endlessly.”
“The past is not ‘me’; reincarnation is like death…” “Heaven creates all beings, whose souls have three parts; reincarnation replaces one…” These words, which Meng Qi had heard in the Hall of Past Lives in the Immortal Realm, echoed in his mind, leaving no doubt in him about Xiao Ru’s account.
This must be the process of gradual renewal through replacement. The Everlifers’ secret techniques merely delayed this trend rather than completely resolving it.
They knew these techniques could slow the process but didn’t understand why, hence remaining stuck at this stage.
Perhaps the technique itself wasn’t important; what mattered was what its effectiveness revealed!
As thoughts swirled in Meng Qi’s mind, his outward appearance remained calm as he casually asked: “After roughly how many reincarnations does one become completely separated from the original self?”
“Several thousand years ago, when our Everlifer ancestors discovered the uniqueness of Snake Mountain, settled there, and created secret techniques across multiple generations, one would ‘die’ after about fifteen or sixteen reincarnations. But in the past thousand years, after four or five reincarnations, one no longer identifies with the previous ‘me.'” Mentioning this, Xiao Ru seemed faintly sorrowful: “Moreover, the more reincarnations one undergoes, the lower their strength ceiling becomes. The previous ‘me’ had Transcendent-level power, ranking among the upper echelons of our clan. My initial progress now is indeed extremely fast, but I can only reach the sixth heavenly stage, unable to cross the second heavenly threshold.”
“Has no Everlifer achieved the Dharmakaya in tens of thousands of years?” Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brow.
This kind of immortality seemingly came at a great cost—but where exactly was that cost paid?
And the decreasing number of reincarnations should relate to the reduction of lifespans throughout the world, possibly connected to the Peach Garden’s anomaly!
Xiao Ru’s expression was a mix of melancholy and self-mockery: “No. Choosing ‘reincarnation immortality’ severs the path to becoming an immortal through martial cultivation. Sigh, based on this, we’ve always lived in seclusion, quietly gathering numerous treasures and techniques, setting up grand arrays, and researching various secret methods. Yet we still couldn’t guard against thieves forever, eventually falling victim to Blood Sea Rakshasa. Without achieving Dharmakaya, we’re mere ants.”
Her youthful face uttering such words created a faint sense of dissonance, but her mature aura dissolved this feeling.
Xiao Ru lowered her eyelids, seemingly in sorrow, when suddenly Meng Qi heard her voice in his ear: “This isn’t the Everlifers’ greatest secret. It’s just something to fool the master, to prevent suspicion.”
A secret voice transmission!
“What is the secret?” Meng Qi silently replied.
Was there something wrong with Song Bingde?
He glanced over, finding Song Bingde listening intently and with great interest to their previous conversation.
Xiao Ru’s transmitted voice became deeper: “After discovering that reincarnation couldn’t achieve true immortality and the number of reincarnations gradually decreased, our clan spent ten thousand years exploring the Everlife Valley, finally relying on secret techniques to locate an extraordinary place—existing within yet beyond the world!”
“This place remains unaffected even if Everlife Valley and Snake Mountain are destroyed. The uniqueness of Everlife Valley is merely a faint trace of this place’s aura!”
“How extraordinary is it?” Meng Qi’s spirits lifted. So the Everlife Valley’s uniqueness had a reason!
In this world, every effect has a cause!
Xiao Ru’s tone carried confusion: “It’s indescribable in words. You’ll understand when you see it. Oh, and this must be kept from my master.”
“Why?” Hearing her emphasize this again, Meng Qi couldn’t help but ask.
Xiao Ru hesitated slightly before replying: “My master is somewhat mysterious. He appears lecherous and cunning, his power perpetually stuck at the third heavenly stage, yet since I can remember, I’ve never seen him truly injured. Moreover, although it was indeed my suggestion to come to Everlife Valley, triggered by memory flashes, he didn’t object at all. I don’t know whether to say he dotes on me and trusts me, or if he’s been anticipating this all along.”
Meng Qi’s gaze remained unchanged, his mind reflecting Song Bingde’s image: average height, ordinary features, a lecherous smile, even calling out ‘father’ and ‘grandfather’ when he encountered Meng Qi’s apparent resurrection. Could such a person really be mysterious?
“Brother Su, are you planning to continue exploring the Southern Wilderness or return to the Great Jin?” Song Bingde asked with a smiling, ingratiating tone.
Meng Qi replied without hesitation: “I have some enmity with Blood Sea Rakshasa. Now that my identity is exposed, I must leave the Southern Wilderness quickly.”
“Enmity with Blood Sea Rakshasa?” Song Bingde’s eyes widened.
No wonder he’s the Crazy Blade Su Meng, daring to provoke even a Dharmakaya!
Xiao Ru also gasped in astonishment.
With chaotic heavenly energies concealing their forms, Meng Qi led them further away.
At night, in a secluded and deep cave, Meng Qi, Song Bingde, and others sat cross-legged, meditating and recovering. At dawn, the two groups parted ways.
Suddenly, a green smoke rose from Xiao Ru’s hand, instantly becoming invisible and odorless, like a sentient mist entering Song Bingde’s nostrils.
Song Bingde’s breathing immediately became heavy, still in meditation, but seemingly not waking up easily.
Xiao Ru smiled faintly and said to Meng Qi, who had opened his eyes: “Our clan members live through multiple lifetimes, yet their strength improvement is limited, so we naturally developed many secret techniques.”
Meng Qi didn’t speak much, rising to his feet and saying: “We’re going to Everlife Valley now.”
…
Wan Chong Venerable, his hair like countless white snakes, gazed emotionlessly at Blood Infant Venerable and Desiccated Bone Demon Lord, making them shudder slightly.
Just as they thought they would face a thunderous wrath, Wan Chong Venerable calmly said: “Go down and administer ten soul-whipping strokes to yourselves.”
Blood Infant Venerable and Desiccated Bone Demon Lord secretly sighed in relief, hastily retreating from Wan Chong Venerable’s sight, puzzled by the Elder’s unusual leniency.
…
The moon, like a silver plate, hung high in the sky, illuminating the ruined remnants of Everlife Valley, where collapsed rock walls lay in disarray. The pervasive bloodstains remained thick, appearing even more eerie and bloody under the silvery, gauze-like moonlight.
Meng Qi and Xiao Ru appeared among the jagged, chaotic broken stones. Following Xiao Ru’s guidance and sensing the changes in energy, they located the spot where Meng Qi had once buried himself.
Seeing the blood, Meng Qi naturally thought of Blood Sea Rakshasa and casually asked: “Does Blood Sea Rakshasa know about that extraordinary place?”
“I think not,” Xiao Ru shook her head. “He came for the reincarnation secret techniques. Even if he searches souls and spirits, our Everlifer clan has secret techniques to conceal such knowledge. As long as there’s no traitor, he won’t find out.”
Both sat cross-legged. Xiao Ru taught another auxiliary method, transmitting her voice in secret:
“Activate both secret techniques, viewing the visions as ripples on a pond. Now, we’re searching for the ‘water surface’!”
Scene after scene appeared—life scenes from Earth—but no matter how Meng Qi sensed and searched, he couldn’t locate the so-called “water surface.”
At this moment, he recalled his unique nature: he was a fish, a ripple, not a fisherman. To find the water surface, he should look upward!
His illusory perception rose upward, nearly touching the golden fragment again, when finally, Meng Qi sensed that tranquil, void-like “water surface”!
It seemed integrated with the void itself, perhaps even a special part of it.
Clutching the technique in secret, Meng Qi envisioned his hands thrusting forward. The water’s surface trembled, unveiling a radiant glow ahead that expanded steadily!
Previously, it had been proven that Everlife Valley indeed had something special, but why didn’t the Blood Robe Sect make it a forbidden area? Meng Qi couldn’t help but wonder.
The two “stepped” into it, disappearing from the spot, leaving only the silvery moonlight shining above, still casting its clear glow, illuminating the eerie blood.
Suddenly, a human figure appeared—of average build, ordinary features—clearly Song Bingde!
His smile no longer lecherous, he raised his right hand, covering his lips, lightly coughing: “So that’s how it is…”
As his voice faded, the bloodstains that had dyed Everlife Valley suddenly came alive, droplets seeping out, flowing like water toward Song Bingde. Under the silver moonlight, the area returned to normal.
The blood flowed into his body, Song Bingde’s aura rapidly rising. His ordinary appearance now caused unease, his pupils tinged with blood!
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