Misty and hazy, light pillars rose, surrounded by divine beasts and celestial birds, and the familiar Samsara Square appeared before Meng Qi.
During this period, he had returned to the Immortal Ruins and participated in the annual gathering. The gloomy atmosphere created by Daoist Chonghe gradually dissipated due to the strength, potential, and social connections displayed by Meng Qi and Ye Yuqi.
The items for consignment were relatively affordable and of good quality, many of which were essential consumables, incomparable to the extravagant act of comprehending the Dao Tree. Additionally, official members had achieved significant gains through continuous expeditions in the plundering grasslands, recovering a total of thirty-eight thousand Virtue Points. Another roughly twenty thousand Virtue Points worth of items had not yet been sold due to various reasons.
At the same time, “Flying Yaksha” Yan Wowo once again comprehended the Dao Tree, attempting to ascend the third Celestial Ladder, which earned Meng Qi another six thousand Virtue Points, bringing his total to forty-four thousand and twenty.
Of course, some members had spent their Virtue Points on consignment items, making Yan Wowo the only one currently attempting to comprehend the Dao Tree.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, Jiang Zhiwei, Zhao Heng, and Ruan Yushu appeared at the Samsara Square. Jiang Zhiwei’s essence, energy, spirit, and sword intent were subtly integrated, flowing throughout her body, preliminarily linking her flesh, Yuan Shen, and Dharma Body. She had evidently just entered the Eighth Heaven. Ruan Yushu and Zhao Heng were both at the Fifth Heaven, though the former had just entered while the latter had already reached the peak of the Fifth Heaven, exuding noble aura, his surrounding energy vaguely forming a dragon shape, keeping demons and monsters at bay.
The Emperor’s throne was indeed crucial for him; the position at the pinnacle of human power would allow him to advance rapidly in the coming period!
“But success and failure both stem from the same source. If one day Northern Zhou conquers the Great Jin, and the jester brother becomes the universal sovereign, Zhao Lao Wu loses the Emperor’s throne, then not only will his progress stagnate, but he might even regress…” Meng Qi sighed inwardly. Naturally, gaining benefits also meant bearing their underlying risks. Everything carries both yin and yang, good and bad intertwined; how could one enjoy only the benefits without facing the drawbacks?
It was just like himself, advancing rapidly, receiving various supreme techniques and miraculous treasures, becoming second to none below the Dharmakaya level, yet he must also bear the inevitable backlash from future great beings.
Looking at Ruan Yushu again, Meng Qi suddenly felt her aura had become increasingly ethereal and cold. He had heard that her grandfather had been cultivating her intensively, constantly allowing her to comprehend and manipulate the Du Ren Qin (Salvation Zither) to enhance their connection, preparing for the day she would take full control.
The four of them had experienced numerous Samsara tasks, so now they wasted no words, skillfully selling their items for Virtue Points, then discussing the search for items to counter evil spirits and malevolent ghosts.
Zhao Heng had focused entirely on assimilating the benefits gained from the Emperor’s throne over the past year, accumulating only two thousand five hundred Virtue Points. Combined with the secret treasures he had previously acquired but not yet used, he chose the “One Year Timeframe” to fully capitalize on the “dividend” of ascending the throne!
He stepped into the room, and immediately the light shimmered dazzlingly. After taking a breath, he emerged again, now at the peak of the Sixth Heaven, with one hundred Virtue Points remaining.
Ruan Yushu had accumulated a significant amount of Virtue Points, upgrading her Qixi Qin (Nest Phoenix Zither) to the highest rank of treasure-grade weaponry and exchanging for an Upper-Tier Treasure-grade Demon Suppression Pagoda.
Jiang Zhiwei was already a top-tier grandmaster who primarily relied on her sword. Most secret treasures and talismans were practically useless to her, and she had no shortage of healing elixirs. Moreover, the treasures she obtained from the Sect of Life and Death Impermanence had only been partially sold at the Immortal Bazaar due to the limited time she had held them, leaving her with a total of just twelve thousand Virtue Points. She simply exchanged nine thousand nine hundred of them for a supreme-grade treasure—the Demon Suppression Pagoda.
Meng Qi was already armed to the teeth. The Qisha Tablet possessed an extraordinary effect, the divine weapon Fire Knife was highly effective against evil spirits and ghosts, the Yellow Spring Skeletons were terrifyingly powerful, the Dao Tree and eerie peach blossoms were enigmatic and unpredictable. He had obtained six of the Primordial Nine Seals, stepped onto the Path of Void, mastered the combined sword and saber techniques, and possessed the Black Emperor Nourishing Pill for healing.
And these were only the major items. He was too lazy to mention the rest, so he exchanged nothing, keeping his Virtue Points for the future crafting of the Moral Ice Sword. He also reserved them as a contingency in case the mission had to be terminated prematurely. Otherwise, if the Master of the Six Dao Samsara deducted the Dao Tree or Yellow Spring Skeletons as penalties, where could he possibly seek justice?
After a brief exchange of greetings and sharing their experiences of the past year, the voice of the Six Dao Samsara Master descended from an indescribably high place:
“The erosion of the Nine Nether has shattered the world, leaving fissures in every corner, from which surges of malevolent spirits occasionally break forth to wreak havoc upon the land.”
“Main Quest: Seal all the Nine Nether’s fissures and restore peace to the world. Completion rewards six thousand Virtue Points and one Samsara Talisman. Failure deducts corresponding Virtue Points.”
“Note: Your team has survived the second deadly task and has earned its own name ‘Legend,’ gaining a certain level of renown across various universes. Perhaps some have dreamed of your general story, or others, inspired, have written novels based on you as prototypes. You are no longer unknown, so be mindful when interacting with others to avoid unintentional exposure.”
Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged glances with a sense of mutual bewilderment. They hadn’t even reached the Legendary level yet, but already felt somewhat legendary?
With a shift in light and shadows, the four vanished from the Samsara Square.
…
Deep within the mountains, a cave extended downward, seemingly endless.
Outside the cave, a Master of the External Scenery sat cross-legged.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, gazing into the cave, where a faint mist drifted out, as if straw were burning inside.
The Master’s expression shifted, a mixture of pain, anger, sighing, and numbness. He rose into the air, soaring into the clouds, flying toward a distant city.
At the same time, he opened his mouth, and his voice rippled outward:
“The Demon Tide approaches!”
This world had no small towns or villages, as they lacked the ability to resist the Demon Tide. Instead, small settlements clustered near the farmlands, seizing every opportunity to cultivate and harvest furiously. If they relaxed, countless people would starve, even if the Demon Tide didn’t destroy the settlements.
At this moment, upon hearing the cry of “The Demon Tide approaches!”, the farmers, men and women, old and young, rushed to harvest their millet and rice, which had not yet fully matured, their expressions numb, driven only by the instinct to survive.
Inside an abandoned dwelling, four figures appeared out of thin air, led by one wearing a mask of the “Purple Star Lord” from a play!
Beside him followed “Xi,” “Lord of the Northern Dipper,” and “Queen Mother of the West,” as if their ears still echoed the voice of the Master of the Six Dao Samsara: “Disrupt the plan for the Demon Lord’s heir…”
…
“The Demon Tide approaches!”
Within a massive city, the streets immediately swarmed with people rushing to grain stores and other places, yet they remained remarkably orderly, as if they had done this dozens or even hundreds of times.
The more people live under constant danger and uncertainty, the more they seek divine protection and spiritual solace. Thus, within this city, upon receiving news of the Demon Tide, a courtyard quickly filled with believers.
The cult leader was a middle-aged scholar standing before his followers, his right hand pressed to his chest, declaring: “I had a dream yesterday, seeing the Four Saviors again. They have foretold that the Demon Tide will return today and will send down their incarnations to completely eliminate it.”
Once an ordinary scholar, he had experienced a series of bizarre dreams filled with supernatural visions of four mighty beings, male and female, of unparalleled power. Inspired, he founded a religion, calling the four figures from his dreams the Four Saviors, deceiving followers and collecting wealth.
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