Outside Lanruo Temple, the trees and bushes were reduced to scorched earth. The night breeze gently blew, bringing a chill and a dim atmosphere.
Meng Qi stood with his hands clasped behind his back beside the urn containing ashes. He concealed his aura, dulled his eyes, and masked the brilliant star lines and the indescribable lofty presence, appearing like an ordinary traveler in the martial arts world.
However, with the return of Yan Chixia and the foolish monk, who confirmed Meng Qi’s words through their firsthand experiences, the onlookers’ perception of this leader of the Cangtian Sect completely changed.
He truly could detect the reversal of time, sending people through the barrier of heaven and earth to another realm. Even if not a god or demon, he was as powerful as one!
Such a method, such an ability, was enough proof of his martial cultivation cultivation. “Cangtian is dead, Huangtian shall rise.” Now the world had gained another Grand Master, perhaps even surpassing the previous ones!
Even though Meng Qi was not intentionally displaying his aura at this moment, they felt as if they were facing a god or demon, sensing his return to simplicity and finding him unfathomable.
“Amitabha, this matter is of utmost importance. Once I seal this Jiuyou rift, please accompany this humble monk to the Celestial Master’s Mansion,” the foolish monk opened his eyes, revealing a translucent, crystal-clear gaze.
If the Female Emperor allied with the Black Mountain Demon, only by persuading the Celestial Master to join forces would they have a significant chance of victory.
The foolish monk realized that Meng Qi’s power was not stronger than his own. However, Meng’s attainment of the “Huangtian shall rise” realm was quite mysterious, allowing him to perceive truths others could not see, hear what others could not hear, and discover the secrets behind the reversal of time, using those connections to pierce through in reverse.
To advance the Cangtian Sect’s martial cultivation to an unprecedented level, Meng Qi indeed possessed great wisdom and perseverance… the foolish monk inwardly praised.
Meng Qi laughed heartily, slowly turned around, and followed the foolish monk toward the Jiuyou rift.
In an instant, the two disappeared, leaving only a lingering voice echoing in the heart of Left Envoy Sun Junlin:
“This matter is beyond your ability. Return to the sect and inform the Right Envoy and the hermits, arranging for our disciples to lie low temporarily and hide to prevent retaliation from the Black Mountain Demon.”
Seeing the two Grand Masters leave together, Yan Chixia and the others felt the seriousness of the situation and a slight sense of relief: Heaven protects the living. At a crucial moment, the leader of the Cangtian Sect had elevated the “Cangtian Martial Arts” to a level previously existing only in imagination, becoming the fifth Grand Master. With the three of them joining forces, they would be sufficient to suppress the Female Emperor and the Black Mountain Demon.
“The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise…” Sun Junlin murmured to himself, his thoughts wandering far away. If one day he could attain his sect leader’s level—retaining memories even through the reversal of time and wielding the power to traverse the barrier between worlds with his primordial spirit—that would truly be a fate worth dying for!
What is a god or demon? This is a living god or demon!
Du Qingqing regained her composure, her beautiful eyes shifting to Yan Chixia: “Brother Yan, what is the specific situation in Chong Ge’s world?”
She couldn’t go there for now, so she could only inquire for details to soothe her heart.
Yan Chixia fell into reminiscence and after a long while replied: “It’s very interesting…”
…
The Celestial Master’s Mansion, where dragon roars and tiger growls echo; Zhaosheng Mountain, where clouds rise and mists shimmer.
Qin Shuanglian and Shi Tiangao stood inside the grand hall, not daring to admire the breathtaking scenery of the peaks outside, which resembled a fairyland. They calmed their minds, waiting for the current Celestial Master’s summons.
He was one of the most powerful and influential figures in this world, and such prominent individuals could be counted on one hand. Revered by the people as “Grand Masters,” the thought of being summoned by such a figure made Qin Shuanglian and Shi Tiangao’s hearts race with excitement.
They were reincarnators who had experienced a deadly mission. Compared to ordinary Externals, they could be considered well-traveled and knowledgeable. However, even so, they had never encountered a Grand Master-level expert before, and such figures rarely appeared even in mission backgrounds. After all, with their current strength, they were not yet at the level to confront Grand Masters or similarly powerful beings.
Therefore, the prospect of meeting a true Grand Master filled them with anticipation. Would there be an extraordinary encounter? Would there be a mission that is both well-rewarded and relatively simple?
Even a slight guidance from such a prominent figure would be immensely beneficial to them! Qin Shuanglian’s heart raced slightly faster as she slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and secretly transmitted her voice to Shi Tiangao: “As long as we secure the support of the Celestial Master’s Mansion, we will almost certainly complete our main mission. But we must never recklessly accept missions or start side quests, even if they are assigned by the Celestial Master himself or offer generous rewards. We must stay calm, think carefully, and assess the level of danger.”
As the team leader, she strived to control her greed.
Shi Tiangao, of medium build, gave off a heavy and exceptionally sturdy impression. He nodded in agreement: “We will supervise each other and never let greed cloud our judgment.”
He then added with a sigh: “I never thought our experience in the ghost village would draw the attention of the Celestial Master’s Mansion. We’ve latched onto a powerful patron.”
Qin Shuanglian frowned: “I’ve always felt that the level of danger before and after the ghost village incident escalated significantly, as if a chain reaction had occurred, which is why the Celestial Master’s Mansion noticed. Could someone be secretly manipulating events?”
“You suspect someone among them initiated a side quest?” Shi Tiangao understood her meaning from her tone.
Qin Shuanglian was silent for a long time before finally sighing: “Our main mission originally didn’t involve the Celestial Master’s Mansion…”
Such incidents could occur once or twice, but not repeatedly. They needed to find out who it was as soon as possible. If a team member consistently acted on their own accord, disregarding orders and risking the entire team’s lives, then decisive action must be taken.
“Let’s forget it for now. Let’s focus on completing this mission. After that, you and I will enter the External Realm, transform like a butterfly from a cocoon, and no longer be ordinary people,” Shi Tiangao advised. “Then, we can defeat stronger evil spirits without having to watch helplessly as our loved ones and comrades fall in battle and our homes are destroyed, leaving us powerless.”
They were born into a world overshadowed by Jiuyou, where unstable Jiuyou rifts were not rare. Although powerful beings could not emerge, waves of evil spirits often surged forth, growing stronger each time. Each wave would destroy countless cities and villages, resulting in the tragic deaths of tens of millions of humans, with many more left homeless. These evil spirit invasions seemed endless, with only brief periods of uneasy calm between them, sometimes lasting decades, sometimes only seven or eight years. The dominant emotions in their eyes were gloom, oppression, and a faint sense of despair.
Qin Shuanglian lowered her eyelids, hiding her sadness, and quietly clenched her right fist. Fortunately, thanks to the Lord of the Six Dao Reincarnation, they had a glimmer of hope. By completing missions and improving themselves time and again, there was a possibility of ending the evil spirit invasions!
From what she knew, the Grand Masters in this world had once sealed several Jiuyou rifts. One day, if she could ascend to such a terrifying level herself, she would be able to personally end that bloody and hopeless history!
As for the deaths in the reincarnation tasks, they were still better than being hopelessly and helplessly killed by evil spirits!
At this moment, a young Taoist came out from the back hall and invited the two to meet the Celestial Master.
Instantly clearing their minds, they followed the young Taoist into the back hall. The interior was simply arranged, with a cloud bed, an elixir furnace, a bookshelf, a desk, and a treasure pavilion forming the living quarters of a prominent figure.
Beside the cloud bed, an exquisite bronze incense burner was lit with sandalwood, emitting a curling smoke that swirled nearby. The Celestial Master sat cross-legged on the cloud bed. His face was indistinct, as if shrouded in smoke, making it impossible to discern his age or features. Yet, there was an ethereal aura mixed with a sense of Daoist rhythm and majesty about him. The space around him seemed to transform into a transcendent realm filled with a pure, swirling mist.
Unconsciously, Qin Shuanglian and Shi Tiangao lowered their heads and bowed respectfully.
The person before them was indeed a great figure, far beyond their imagination!
The Celestial Master’s voice was also distant and ethereal. He asked a few questions about the ghost village, and Qin Shuanglian answered truthfully, with Shi Tiangao adding supplementary details.
Suddenly, the Celestial Master ceased his questioning, lifted his head to gaze outside, and they felt a stirring in their hearts. Turning to look at the entrance, they saw a monk and a layman entering hand in hand. The monk wore a gray robe, his countenance kind and his eyes gentle, with closed eyelids surrounded by a faint crystalline glow—pure and translucent. The layman was clad in a green robe, exuding an air of effortless grace, his features handsome and his gaze profound, as if holding within them the accumulated dust of time. Around him, the space seemed void, as though nothingness itself, yet paradoxically containing all things between heaven and earth.
Their auras did not collide, clearly demarcated, and difficult to distinguish in superiority.
Such an aura, such a bearing, was on par with the Celestial Master! Qin Shuanglian and Shi Tiangao were astonished and spontaneously guessed:
“Could they also be Grand Masters!”
“The monk should be the foolish monk, but who is the one in green? It can’t be the Female Emperor, nor does he resemble the Black Mountain Demon…”
Others might guess that a new powerful figure had recently broken through, but as reincarnators, Qin Shuanglian and Shi Tiangao’s first thought was:
“Other reincarnators?”
“Reincarnators comparable to Grand Masters?”
“Veteran reincarnators who have survived more than three deadly missions?”
They instinctively held their breath, afraid of disturbing the other party. Such reincarnators could not merely be described as terrifying! They had probably experienced trials from legendary immortals and gods, gaining unimaginable extraordinary encounters!
“You may come back tomorrow,” the Celestial Master said to Qin Shuanglian and Shi Tiangao.
The two hurriedly took their leave, silently exiting the Celestial Master’s Hall before looking at each other, exchanging words filled with shock and slight apprehension:
“If he really is a reincarnator, then he is the most powerful one I’ve ever seen!”
“It could also be a newly emerged powerful figure in this world…”
As they conversed, the two returned to the guesthouse, where their teammate in a crimson dress rushed out to meet them, her expression anxious: “Sister Qin, Fang Zhi suddenly fainted and is unconscious!”
“What?” Qin Shuanglian immediately pushed thoughts of the veteran reincarnator to the back of her mind.
…
Inside the Celestial Master’s Hall, Meng Qi and the foolish monk recounted everything in detail.
The Celestial Master stroked his beard, remaining silent for a long time. The foolish monk, a neutral party, being willing to help him against the Female Emperor was a pleasant surprise from heaven. Not to mention, he had brought another Grand Master along. However, the story they told was indeed beyond imagination, exaggerated and hard to believe completely. Even if a monk does not lie, others might still doubt that he had been deceived.
Seeing this, Meng Qi said, “No one knows when that special device will be repaired, so we must act quickly and on two fronts. We must confront the Female Emperor and the Black Mountain Demon while searching for the mysterious fragments. Otherwise, if someone changes the laws of heaven and earth from outside and manipulates the reversal of time, the Female Emperor and her allies will be invincible, and even our combined forces won’t be able to match them.”
“If the Celestial Master does not believe me, this old man can send your primordial spirit to that realm to verify the truth.”
…
“Achoo!” Nangong Chong woke up startled from his dream.
Just now, he had dreamed that someone else was sent over again by the leader of the Cangtian Sect, that the leader himself had possessed him to search for the mysterious fragments. He was still shaken after waking up.
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