The battle at Nujiang River saw a first-rank powerhouse, the Grandmaster “Shi,” summoning a true deity into the world. With a sword drawn and laws following in its wake, he severed the path to the heavens and eliminated the aura of gods and demons.
Seeing Du Huaishang was favored by Heaven, proving himself the Mandate of Heaven Emperor, generals like Wu Che, the Marquis of Wutong, and General Kou Jin defected mid-battle. Only “Emperor of Martial Arts,” Dugu Shi, refused to surrender, fighting alone against nine top-tier martial artists. At the cost of mutual destruction, he killed two and gravely wounded three, maintaining his dignity even in death like a tiger that dies without collapsing!
The righteous army crossed the Nujiang River, regrouped, and issued proclamations toward the capital.
Before long, news of the Nujiang battle spread throughout the land via the Bai Xiaotang Academy, drawing shocked glances from all!
Another rumor circulated about a former first-rank martial artist, the “Heavenly Azure Dragon, Master of the Emperor,” whose cave abode had appeared, its doors wide open without any defenses. Inside, signs suggested recent habitation, yet no signs of looting or stolen items were found.
…
Mist and vapor rose, tiny droplets moistening the skin. Meng Qi’s weakness rapidly faded, and even the damage to his Dharmic Form caused by the “Heavenly Core My Will Manual” was restored.
Although suspecting Six Circles’ healing might carry hidden dangers, in a reincarnation world where life constantly hovered between life and death, Meng Qi could only drink poison to quench his thirst, hoping to find a remedy in the future.
“The righteous army led by Du Huaishang crossed the Nujiang River and marched toward the capital. The main mission is complete, with a reward of 4,500 Virtue Points for each member.”
“In the factional battle mission, each member earns 7,000 Virtue Points for eliminating three reincarnators, one top-tier martial artist, and two supreme martial artists.”
“No evaluation for the death mission, each member receives one Reincarnation Talisman.”
“The second death mission has been completed. Reincarnation deepens, allowing access to more ancient ruins and reincarnators from various races, including but not limited to demons, monsters, gods, and deities. Exclusive missions involving Dharma Body techniques, moves, divine weapons, treasures, immortal pills, and talismans will be unlocked without any restrictions, no longer limited to highly risky or incomplete types. Members can name their own team as a title. Controlled secret realms and sources can be designated as team bases, with exits located in three places within their world and connected to one reincarnation world, with synchronized time flow. However, these cannot be used as subordinates for now.”
After passing the second death mission, the permissions indeed increased significantly… Meng Qi stepped out of the mist, sincerely sighing.
Although joining Xianji made the last point seem redundant, the saying goes that a cunning rabbit has three burrows. There might come a day when this proves useful. The only issue was that none of them currently controlled any secret realms or sources.
It seemed they had advanced too quickly, and their rapid reincarnation progress indeed lacked accumulation!
As he relaxed and let his thoughts wander, the voice of the Six Circles Reincarnation Master rang again: “Member Qi Zhengyan used the Separation Contract, leaving the team to become a free reincarnator.”
His gaze froze, thoughts stilled, and a faint sadness welled up from Meng Qi’s heart. What was bound to come had finally arrived…
“This…” From the end of the last mission, Jiang Zhimi had sensed something odd about Qi Zhengyan. As this mission progressed, the feeling grew stronger, yet she never imagined he would leave the team outright. They were sworn brothers and sisters; what problem couldn’t be discussed openly and resolved together?
Ruan Yushu pursed her lips. The last death mission was a parting in death; this time, it was a parting in life?
For a privileged daughter of a noble family, the reincarnation world had made her taste the sorrows, pains, and helplessness of the world.
Zhao Heng had experienced teammates’ deaths and viewed this more calmly, feeling only shock and surprise, recalling Qi Zhengyan’s actions over these days.
“Member Qi Zhengyan has left a message. Would you like to listen to it now?” The Six Circles Reincarnation Master’s voice was distant and unfathomable.
Jiang Zhimi exchanged glances with Meng Qi, seeing him nod slightly, then solemnly said, “Listen.”
The air paused briefly, and Qi Zhengyan’s familiar voice came from midair:
“For the first twenty years of my life, I was ordinary and plain. Until I met you all, I not only gained techniques, weapons, and strength but also found true life-and-death comrades, people I could trust completely with my back.”
He usually showed little emotion, yet while speaking these words, he seemed genuinely moved:
“Senior Zhang was steady and broad-minded, never looking down on us because of his status, treating us equally, the true senior brother I aspired to become. Jiang junior sister was dedicated to the sword path but was also generous, straightforward, righteous, and kind-hearted, not cold but warm like spring breeze. Without this understanding, she might have been someone I admired. Miss Ruan was entirely different from the noble daughter I imagined; seemingly indifferent, she was actually kind-hearted, unbiased, and fearless, no less brave than us. Zhao Heng had lofty ambitions but was never arrogant, always willing to integrate into the team.”
“Xiao Meng always seemed cheerful and playful, like a monkey, but he cared about others’ feelings, was warm-hearted, had a chivalrous heart, valued friendship deeply, would risk his life for friends, and was ready to do anything for justice. He was someone you could confide in completely. Without his example and humor, perhaps I would have long since fallen into the evil path.”
Listening to this, Meng Qi felt a mix of emotions, his nose tingling, muttering, “Monkey’s sister! Senior Qi, do you always become talkative at critical moments?”
Ruan Yushu’s eyes reddened slightly; Jiang Zhimi held her breath, a quiet sadness flowing between them.
Qi Zhengyan continued, “However, the world does not revolve solely around us. There has never been a bond entirely free from external interference. I unwillingly received the Demon King’s inheritance at the Demon Graveyard and ultimately accepted it at Ling Mountain. Through repeated events—particularly the enlightenment from the Wordless Stele and Xiao Meng’s transformation of Mohist philosophy—I forged my own philosophy, one worth dedicating my life to!”
“Although I won’t become a traditional evil path practitioner, eventually, our philosophies will clash. This is a battle of paths, with no room for compromise.”
His emotions cooled, turning indifferent, tinged with a sense of the vicissitudes of life: “Once, I deeply admired those sages who could rise above good and evil to forge profound friendships. Now I realize that even the deepest camaraderie and closest bonds cannot bridge divergent paths. It is not a matter of good or evil—it is a matter of inner conviction!”
“What exactly is this philosophy?” Jiang Zhimi looked at Meng Qi; he must know.
Meng Qi succinctly explained Qi Zhengyan’s philosophy and his persuasion attempts. Jiang Zhimi and Ruan Yushu fell silent, sensing a profound rift. Their expressions were complex, brows furrowed. They couldn’t hate Qi Zhengyan, yet absolutely couldn’t accept him, feeling only helplessness. There were always unavoidable things in the world!
With their age and experience, they were far from the stage where they could truly grasp the weight of philosophy and path conflicts. However, Qi Zhengyan’s matter made them prematurely experience such helplessness.
Zhao Heng wore a thoughtful expression, lost in his thoughts.
Under Six Circles’ control, Qi Zhengyan’s message paused until Meng Qi finished explaining, then resumed:
“If we meet again in the future, perhaps we will have to fight. I won’t hold back, and I ask you not to hold back either. Remember to visit our graves during Qingming Festival, and that will be enough to honor our friendship.”
Hearing these calm yet resolute and cruel words, Meng Qi felt sadness and helplessness. Compared to the potential conflict with Gu Xiaosang, Qi Senior’s matter was even harder to accept.
Accepting the unacceptable might be the mark of one’s maturity… Meng Qi inwardly smiled bitterly.
Qi Zhengyan sighed, his tone turning calm: “The relationship between the Angler and the Fish. The Demon King’s memories contain similar descriptions. In multiple eras ago, in the primordial age, the Tiansheng Zhi Ling were born as legends, possessing an entirely different essence from current humans and demons. They had countless projections existing in various worlds, not only free from lifespan concerns but nearly immortal and indestructible. However, with each era’s transformation and major changes in heaven and earth, subtle changes occurred between projections and their originals, nearly detaching the projections to become relatively independent souls. Later-born humans and demons had their originals and projections isolated, with only faint connections remaining.”
“To become a legend, one must not only connect with one’s fragment in the cosmic light but also reunite independent souls across various worlds as projections, returning to oneself as the unique existence across all realms.”
“The Angler is the original, while the Fish are the beings derived from the projections after separation.”
The voice faded, leaving no further words.
So, the Eternal Race are original beings, while I am a projection of the Angler, evolved on Earth, then pulled here? Meng Qi seemed to grasp the key point, but what were these “various worlds” he mentioned?
Pondering hard, feeling like he was missing one piece, Meng Qi suppressed his thoughts, turned to Jiang Zhimi, Ruan Yushu, and Zhao Heng, finding them equally puzzled, seemingly unable to comprehend. He casually asked a few questions, discovering they were equally confused about the relationship between various worlds and their own realm.
“I need to go back and consult my master.” Jiang Zhimi thought of Su Wuming, who was deeply immersed in these matters.
Hearing Su Wuming’s name, Zhao Heng immediately thought of Master Lu, sighing: “I never expected Master Lu had reached such a level, almost like a legendary grandmaster.”
“I think there’s more to it. Otherwise, with such a realm, how could there be opportunities for the grasslands and the Nine Evil Paths to stir trouble?” Jiang Zhimi was very interested in the “Number One Sword Under Heaven,” her beautiful eyes glancing toward Meng Qi. The wooden carving was his discovery; he should know more.
Meng Qi bitterly smiled: “I’m also clueless about everything. But since the carving saved me, I should visit Huamei Villa to express my gratitude. Hopefully, Senior Lu can resolve our doubts.”
Only now did he think of a question: Did this count as revealing reincarnation secrets?
From the lack of Six Circles’ intervention, it seemed it didn’t?
“Alright, let’s first convert our loot into Virtue Points, distribute and exchange them, and learn about the next mission.” Jiang Zhimi reined in her curiosity.
Zhao Heng immediately took out a horse-chopping saber, clearly the one that had deflected Jiang Zhimi’s strike: “Dugu Shi’s saber fell nearby on the battle ship at that time; I just grabbed it.”
“Good.” Meng Qi exhaled, pushing Qi Zhengyan’s matter and the Fish explanation deep into his heart, then took out the treasure item of the Celestial Sovereign Senluo and Miao Cong’s Ring of the Seeds and treasure weapon.
Jiang Zhimi glanced at them: “The former is your reward from killing Shadow King, right? Completed alone, it belongs to you personally.”
Miao Cong belonged to the factional battle mission’s rewards. At that time, Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan participated in the battle, while Jiang Zhimi and others were preoccupied with the assassins. According to the agreement, everyone shared equally.
Unfortunately, the assassin took nothing else when escaping into the void, and the treasure weapon was cut into pieces by the Jade-Cutting Knife.
Meng Qi said nothing, exchanging the Celestial Sovereign Senluo’s item for 7,800 Virtue Points, Miao Cong’s Ring of the Seeds, longevity pills, and treasure weapon for a total of 15,500 Virtue Points, and Dugu Shi’s horse-chopping saber for 5,000 Virtue Points. Finally, each person received 5,125 Virtue Points equally, plus Ruan Yushu’s returned 3,100 Virtue Points and Zhao Heng’s 6,000 Virtue Points. Meng Qi’s total Virtue Points amounted to 39,915.
Jiang Zhimi had 16,625, Ruan Yushu had 13,525, and Zhao Heng had 10,925.
“I plan to use time and Reincarnation Talismans together, striving to temper myself and ascend the first Celestial Ladder.”
The maximum time that could be combined with a Reincarnation Talisman was one year.
Meng Qi looked at the Reincarnation Talisman, thinking of the Fengshen World and the “item” Yang Jian mentioned in Yuxu Palace. However, he didn’t want to go now. Yuxu Palace was mysterious and under high-level surveillance. Without reaching the Master level, it would be riskier than this death mission. It would be better to ascend to Master, bring along the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao, and then have a better chance. If he went to Fengshen for cultivation now, even with sufficient time of one year and two months for potential breakthroughs, he couldn’t seek further help. Relying only on Duke Huan might be too careless.
Yang Jian’s message made him eagerly anticipate the Yuxu Palace journey; no amount of caution would be too much!
“Almost reaching forty thousand Virtue Points.” Meng Qi said with a toothache-like expression.
“Forty thousand Virtue Points, are you planning to redeem the second volume of ‘Yi Jin Jing’?” Jiang Zhimi immediately caught on.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage