The north wind howled, and snow still fell in February. The childish voices chanting “The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao” echoed in Meng Qi’s ears. Before him stretched snow-covered mountains, pure and spotless. Wearing only a thin green robe, Meng Qi walked calmly in the cold.
Behind him, the world darkened, as if all changes in the universe converged into a single point—a point without past or future, without beginning or end. Here, space subtly collapsed, and time slightly froze. Everything originated from this point, and all consequences stemmed from it.
At a glance, this point appeared like a Daoist immortal, majestic, ancient, and boundless.
After half a year of quietly studying the Dao and teaching children, Meng Qi sensed and grasped the laws of heaven and earth more profoundly than during his travels, elevating his Dharma Manifestation to a higher level. He had entered the sixth Heaven.
Of course, this was also because Meng Qi had previously been in an extremely “active” state. Once he became “still,” he gained unique insights. Yet, to cross the second Heaven’s Ladder, stillness alone would no longer suffice.
Yin and Yang, stillness and motion—all were manifestations of the Dao!
Meng Qi exhaled, gaining more confidence for this deadly mission.
Originally, he thought he could only reach the fifth Heaven’s culmination within a year. However, thanks to dual cultivation with Gu Xiaosang, balancing Yin and Yang, he entered the fifth Heaven quickly, leaving ample time to harmonize motion and stillness. Now, he had even advanced to the sixth Heaven!
In this world, looking around, even Grandmasters no longer seemed so terrifying.
“It’s time to visit the Immortal Ruins and retrieve the Tree of the Great Dao…” Meng Qi calculated the time, gracefully descending the mountain. Many variables surrounded this deadly mission, and the Tree of the Great Dao, the most mysterious and strange item in his possession, naturally needed to accompany him—it might prove useful in a critical moment.
…
Mist and clouds swirled, radiant and pure. Meng Qi saw the long-missed Wheel Plaza. He spotted Jiang Zhiwei in her light-yellow robe, Qi Zhengyan in his fluttering green robe, Ruan Yushu in her snow-white dress, and Zhao Heng, now clad in yellow and black.
Upon seeing them and recalling the previous rumors, Meng Qi inexplicably felt uneasy. He had been deceived by the seductress Gu, regaining his strength and escaping hardship through physical intimacy. Though he harbored no regret or guilt, facing his companions, he was struck by a peculiar sense of shame, as if he had slightly deviated from the group.
For some reason, he felt that Jiang Zhiwei, Qi Zhengyan, Ruan Yushu, and Zhao Heng were all looking at him with ambiguous smiles.
Illusions, all illusions! Just as he was about to change the subject by asking about everyone’s cultivation achievements, Ruan Yushu sincerely said, “My brothers greatly admire you.”
“Eh?” Meng Qi looked at her in confusion.
Ruan Yushu’s skin shimmered like moonlight as she calmly remarked, “They always admire fearless emotions that defy worldly conventions, regarding them as beautiful as music. To emotionally move a demoness, unafraid of the divide between righteousness and evil, and even undeterred by the Luo Sect’s relentless pursuit—that is truly extraordinary.”
Meng Qi’s expression froze, and he forced a dry laugh, unsure how to respond.
Jiang Zhiwei smiled, “Don’t tease him like that. Anyone with clear eyes can see that Han Guang is just unwilling to accept it, deliberately spreading rumors. He has suffered repeatedly from the enchantress Gu, and even if he cooperates temporarily due to various practical constraints, it can only last briefly.”
Chonghe had already learned of Han Guang’s presence in the Immortal Realm, but Meng Qi ruined his plans.
“Zhiwei, you truly understand me,” Meng Qi gave her a thumbs-up, internally quite uneasy.
At this moment, he glanced at Qi Zhengyan, who appeared unchanged, still expressionless, showing no signs of falling into the demonic path.
Qi Zhengyan transmitted his voice, “After the mission, I will personally explain to them and redeem items to leave the team. For now, do not disturb everyone’s mindset.”
Meng Qi considered this, planning to gradually persuade him during the mission. For now, redeeming weapons and armor was most important. Thus, he said, “I will remind them that due to the Blood Sea Rakshasa matter, the mission’s difficulty will increase again,” covering up Qi Zhengyan’s issue.
Facing Meng Qi’s praise, Jiang Zhiwei smiled sweetly, “Most importantly, who you like and who you’re with is your own business. We all believe you won’t lose your conscience or cross your bottom line due to external reasons. Moreover, even if you genuinely like the enchantress, if she continues her evil ways, I won’t spare her out of consideration for you.”
“Everyone knows what kind of person you are. Even if you truly have ties with that demoness, we still trust your integrity and believe you won’t aid in wicked deeds. Emotions and character are two separate matters,” added Ruan Yushu, voicing the Ruan family’s stance.
It sounded as if I had already married the demoness… Meng Qi wiped off a cold sweat and glanced at Zhao Heng, who was watching the scene with amusement. He briefly recounted the matter of the demoness Gu and the secret method of the Blood Sea Rakshasa’s reincarnation, exactly as he had explained to Chonghe.
After listening, Jiang Zhiwei lightly frowned, “The angler and the fish… I feel like I’ve heard this phrase somewhere.”
“You’ve heard of it?” Meng Qi was surprised, then thought of a great figure.
Jiang Zhiwei’s brows relaxed, “It must have been mentioned once by my master. At the time, I didn’t understand its meaning, assuming it was a profound metaphor in swordsmanship. Now I realize it relates to the self and the other self. It seems my master truly visited the Valley of Immortality and might have gained something there.”
“I wonder where Senior Su learned about the Valley of Immortality,” Zhao Heng added.
Upon hearing this, Meng Qi suddenly had an epiphany, “Senior Su killed the ‘Azure Emperor Dongwanggong’ from the Mythos, and the Haotian Mirror was the personal treasure of the Azure Emperor. There might be a connection between the two.”
Jiang Zhiwei nodded slightly, “I plan to directly ask my master about this after the deadly mission.”
Direct and straightforward, no beating around the bush!
“Alright, we can try the secret method later. Now, let’s prepare for the deadly mission,” Meng Qi suggested.
“Alright, let’s first convert the items we’ve collected into Virtue Points,” Qi Zhengyan said casually, secretly transmitting voice to Meng Qi, “Regarding the angler and the fish, the Devil King has an explanation. I’ll tell you after the deadly mission.”
Right! Not asking the Devil King, an ancient Heavenly Venerable-level great being, about such matters would be a waste! Meng Qi was moved to “tears,” thinking how even if Qi Senior had fallen into the demonic path, he was still a good senior brother!
He deliberately tried to forget their differing ideologies and potential future conflicts. Before the deadly mission, it was better to stay optimistic.
After speaking, Qi Zhengyan walked to the central jade pillar and calmly said, “This time, I encountered the ruins of a deceased Grandmaster and gained many benefits.”
“Encountered another ruin?” Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu, and Zhao Heng were all quite surprised. This was comparable to Xiao Meng’s luck!
Meng Qi understood that Qi Zhengyan no longer feared exposure and had simply made up an excuse. Not mentioning the items, the techniques known by the Devil King alone would be enough for Qi Senior to redeem tens of thousands, or even more, Virtue Points.
Qi Zhengyan took out the items and secret manuals, throwing them all into the central jade pillar. After a while, he said, “Combined with what I had left before, it totals exactly twenty thousand Virtue Points. I am currently at the culmination of the third Heaven and about to cross the first Heaven’s Ladder.”
It seemed Qi Senior had already crossed the first Heaven’s Ladder… Meng Qi understood in his heart.
Jiang Zhiwei slightly furrowed her brows, vaguely sensing something strange about Qi Zhengyan. She took out her gains from completing Immortal Ruins missions over the past year and said, “My White Rainbow Piercing the Sun Sword is already top-grade. During my travels, I completed some tasks and gained some rewards.”
After redeeming each item, combined with what she had left before, Jiang Zhiwei had seven thousand Virtue Points.
Stepping back, she added, “I am at the culmination of the fifth Heaven but have not yet entered the sixth Heaven.”
Ruan Yushu continued, “I borrowed Virtue Points and redeemed time. Now I have also reached the peak of the third Heaven. During my journey, I had an extraordinary encounter and obtained a supreme-grade protective garment—the ‘Moon Palace Jade Robe.’ It can purify the Yuan Shen and reflect freezing damage back to enemies, equivalent to the tenth layer of the Golden Bell Cover. However, each activation consumes a tremendous amount of energy, and I can use it no more than three times.”
Meng Qi had learned of this while retrieving the Tree of the Great Dao. After completing the mission in the Immortal Ruins, Ruan Yushu spent nearly a year in cultivation, during which her family provided her with additional heavenly treasures. She then exchanged part of her accumulated Virtue Points for extra time to ensure she reached the Third Heaven. Converting all the protective secret treasures given by her family into Virtue Points, along with her remaining reserves, she acquired this “Moon Palace Jade Robe” worth 9,200 Virtue Points—equivalent to the defensive power of Meng Qi’s Eight-Nine Arcane Art at the Seventh Heaven.
“Now I have no Virtue Points at all, but I borrowed a top-grade treasure zither, the ‘Seven Immortal Zither,’ from my family for observation and comparison.” Upgrading the Phoenix Perch Zither to top-grade would harm it, as it would lose gradual progression. Therefore, Ruan Yushu planned to use the “Seven Immortal Zither” temporarily.
After she finished speaking, Zhao Heng smiled bitterly, “I have just ‘touched’ the first Heaven’s Ladder but have not yet crossed it. Due to some unique encounters, I obtained some pills and treasures.”
What he referred to as encounters was providing intelligence to the Immortal Ruins and receiving rewards.
He converted these into Virtue Points, totaling five thousand combined with what he had before.
After everyone converted their items into Virtue Points, they all looked at Meng Qi, waiting for him to speak.
Meng Qi coughed slightly, “I have entered the sixth Heaven.”
“A bit faster than I expected,” Jiang Zhiwei did not hide her surprise and joy.
“Due to the balance between motion and stillness.” Within the Wheel Plaza, Meng Qi did not want to mention the Dao De Jing matters, then said his second sentence, “Excluding items, I now have more than twenty-four thousand Virtue Points.”
“Twenty-four thousand Virtue Points?” Zhao Heng’s expression was shaken, his voice slightly trembling.
Had he gained so many Virtue Points from the Celestial Court? No, the Celestial Court couldn’t possibly directly grant Virtue Points!
Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu were not surprised, as this was the result of the second enlightenment from the Tree of the Great Dao. So far, because most members were still digesting the first enlightenment, they couldn’t accumulate six thousand Virtue Points temporarily. Only Lingbao Tianzun, Doumu Yuanjun, Nanhua Tianzun, and Changsheng Xianzun had achieved enlightenment once more.
“You’ve realized this too…” Meng Qi produced the Tree of the Great Dao and gave Zhao Heng a playful wink.
Through “Guangcheng Tianzun,” Meng Qi had allowed Zhao Heng to gain an insight once.
Zhao Heng suddenly understood. So he was a member of the same organization! No wonder he felt the little tree was familiar back then!
—During the journey to the West, things happened suddenly, and he hadn’t carefully observed the little tree, especially after it changed later.
“Senior Qi, won’t you enlighten me?” Meng Qi smiled.
Qi Zhengyan thought for a moment, “It’s temporarily unsuitable for me.”
Meng Qi exhaled, saying no more, walked to the central jade pillar, and placed all items, including the Six Gates’ salary:
“The Twin Cultivation Manual of Shangshui Immortal… can be redeemed for three thousand Virtue Points.”
“The Yin-Yang Jade Liquid and four other heavenly treasures… can be redeemed for eight thousand Virtue Points.”
“The damaged Li Bie Hook… can be redeemed for one thousand three hundred Virtue Points.”
“The Xuan Ji Sha Po and another heavenly treasure… can be redeemed for three thousand two hundred Virtue Points.”
“The Purple Lightning Thunder Blade… can be redeemed for two thousand five hundred Virtue Points.”
“The Jiuku Fruit… can be redeemed for one thousand eight hundred Virtue Points.”
After the redemption, Meng Qi had a total of forty-three thousand eight hundred and ninety Virtue Points.
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