Chapter 929: Three People, Three Matters

Bang!

The vermilion gates of Yu Xu Palace swung shut from the inside out, producing an illusory clanging sound. Thirty-six ancient wells emitted a hazy glow, separating everything from the mundane world.

When Meng Qi looked back, golden light dyed the clouds, magnificent enough to make people instinctively hold their breath, while Yu Xu Palace returned to its ethereal and unfathomable height, just like the True Sovereign of Clear Source, Yang Jian.

At that moment, Meng Qi’s heart stirred. His right hand rested on the hilt of the Overlord’s Blade, and his gaze shifted leftward.

Just as he turned his eyes, his vision blurred. A vermilion small gourd leaped from the void, its entire body covered in a layer of glowing light. It didn’t seem like an ordinary object, exuding an icy, sharp aura of slaughter, rivaling the feeling Meng Qi had from the Underworld Sea Sword.

“The Flying Sword of Immortal Slaying!” The name naturally surfaced in Meng Qi’s mind.

This was a unique treasure that emerged during the Investiture Conflict, excelling in immobilizing both soul and spirit. Its transformations were limitless, so incredibly sharp that even the indestructible Vajra Body could scarcely endure a single strike. It was regarded as one of the counterbalances to the Eighth and Ninth Mysteries of the Primordial Unity.

Its master was Daojun Luya, an ancient monster who had survived from the previous era, the son of the Heavenly Emperor of the Primordial Heaven in the Tai Gu epoch. Even if he hadn’t reached the other shore or obtained half of the Dao fruit, he was certainly very close, a figure comparable to the Azure Emperor or the Fire Emperor.

The killing intent surged forth. Meng Qi’s soul, dharma body, and physical form united as one. Power surged into the Overlord’s Blade, a domineering force that shook the heavens erupting forth like thunder, almost tangible, diluting and isolating the killing intent.

This peerless divine weapon was forged from the ancient Thunder Pool and the remains of the Thunder God of the Nine Heavens. It contained the true essence of the Ninefold Thunder Destruction, secretly bearing the hidden mark of the Thunder God, who was also the Demon Buddha A-nan. Back when the Overlord perished, this was one of the reasons, not merely because he still hoped for a future life and was unwilling to sever his path.

At the height of his reign, the Overlord had entered many ruins and secret places. He knew that the Thunder God had not advanced beyond Creation, and was even somewhat inferior to Zhen Wu. A-nan was the same, and the more cycles he underwent, the weaker he became. Thus, the Overlord had not considered the possibility of his future life being occupied, only pursuing the idea that “all past matters dissipate like smoke.” A-nan was roughly as he had anticipated, otherwise he wouldn’t have failed when the Overlord achieved his Dharma Body, allowing him to step into the realm of legends, even gaining traits of the other shore, eventually creating the decisive slash that severed the future.

Unfortunately, A-nan had the Cycle Seal, barely managing to launch a surprise attack from the future. When the Overlord was surrounded and attacked by several Sages and Xin Ji, with many great beings involved and the Overlord’s Blade briefly losing control, A-nan finally succeeded. The only problem was that he wasn’t yet at the level of the other shore, unable to use the future to integrate and fuse with the physical body and soul, forcing the Overlord into a desperate situation where he had to self-destruct to avoid being consumed.

The Overlord’s maker mark left within the blade carried the inheritance and secretly sought the hidden mark of the Thunder God. After more than ten thousand years, it finally made a discovery. However, it remained silent, pretending to be unaware, only intervening at critical moments to prevent Meng Qi from comprehending the Ninefold Thunder Destruction. When Meng Qi held the blade and severed the past, the mark erupted fully, momentarily suppressing the hidden mark and resisting the Cycle Seal. Now that the mission had succeeded, the mark and the hidden mark were locked in a fierce struggle within the blade, tending toward mutual annihilation.

Of course, both the mark and the hidden mark belonged to beings of legend or higher, and both had deep connections with the blade. This struggle would not be resolved in a short time.

Although Meng Qi had now attained the Dharma Body, barely qualifying as unique in space and time, he had not yet spread throughout all realms. He could only be considered to have slight traits of legend and the other shore—capable of perceiving the minutest details, borrowing external influences to alter the laws of heaven and earth outside the Real Realm, amplifying certain aspects of heavenly laws within the Real Realm, and sensing the erosion of the river of time and the flow of fate. He lacked abilities like “rising beyond the Nine Heavens,” “being omnipresent,” “remaining immortal as long as projections exist,” or “briefly stepping out of the river of time to trace the past and foresee the future.” The path ahead was still long and arduous.

Therefore, he could not yet intervene in the struggle between the mark and the hidden mark. He planned to wait until they exhausted each other before helping to erase the Thunder God’s hidden mark. As for the Overlord’s mark, it was merely a lingering obsession, not a true soul or spirit. After the battle, he would extract it from the blade and send it for a normal reincarnation, not involving resurrection or return. If the reincarnated being wished to, he would take him as a disciple to repay the karmic debt.

Precisely because of the struggle between the mark and the hidden mark, the Overlord’s Blade could currently only unleash the power of a Celestial Immortal, meaning it was not fully awakened.

Yet, holding such a weakened Overlord’s Blade, Meng Qi was not nervous when facing the Flying Sword of Immortal Slaying. From Luya’s previous attempt to seize the Cycle Seal, it was clear that he was in a very weak state, likely also suffering from suppression and sealing. Although the Flying Sword of Immortal Slaying was powerful, without a master’s strong command, it probably wouldn’t awaken to its full potential just to kill him.

The reason such peerless divine weapons slept was likely similar to that of great beings.

As this thought arose in his mind, the vermilion gourd before him transformed, becoming a short Taoist immortal wearing a fish-tail crown, a vermilion robe, with an ancient and peculiar appearance and a long beard.

“Daojun Luya?” Meng Qi’s body seemed very relaxed, his right hand merely resting on the hilt of his blade, as if the figure before him was not a great being but an ordinary person with nothing special about him.

The short Taoist immortal stroked his beard and chuckled, “Indeed, the Demon Buddha is no longer complete, no longer inspiring fear in people’s hearts.”

Luya seemed quite wary of the Demon Buddha, and seeing the opponent’s fall from the mystical realm, he was quite delighted… Meng Qi’s expression remained neutral as he asked, “Daojun, did you appear just to say this?”

Luya smiled, “The poor Daoist and the Yuanshi lineage have some grudges, but they are not insurmountable. Previously, I sent people to kill you mainly to test your relationship with the Thunder God. I didn’t expect it to be related to the Demon Buddha. Now that you’ve broken free from your shackles, it’s truly commendable. Your future is bright. The stronger you become, the more flaws the Demon Buddha will reveal.”

At that moment, Meng Qi’s mind suddenly became clear. He understood why Yang Jian hadn’t erased his existence beforehand to sever the Demon Buddha’s hope, but instead allowed him to grow step by step until he achieved the Immortal Body and Yuan Shi Body fusion, the Indestructible Yuan Shi Body. It was because the more powerful his independent self became, the more flaws the Demon Buddha would reveal, eventually reaching a point of no return.

At this moment, Luya smiled faintly and said, “Let me speak plainly. The Investiture Scroll is in my hands, and your three friends are all listed on it.”

Meng Qi’s eyes, deep like an endless sea, suddenly emitted a burst of light, as if capable of severing everything before him: “What are you trying to say?”

“Your three friends have not yet reached the Dharma Body, nor are they truly my fish. To me, they are actually of little use.” Luya said with a smile, “Moreover, the Yuanshi lineage and my hatred have clear origins and targets. You were also gradually guided into becoming the Yuanshi heir. It’s not worth it for me to fight you to the death. Therefore, as long as you pay a certain price, I am not unwilling to consider removing their names from the Investiture Scroll, helping you sever their karmic ties with others!”

As for Meng Qi, the fish of the Demon Buddha, because he had accepted the Demon Lord’s inheritance and was noticed and wanted to be controlled by the supreme demon king, characters like Qi Zhengyan were certainly not on the Investiture Scroll to prevent future “returns” of the great beings behind the scenes from being controlled by Luya. Therefore, Luya only mentioned the three people and did not speak of Qi Zhengyan.

Meng Qi looked at Luya: “What price?”

Just as he had been considering this matter, Luya presented conditions, truly like a pillow meeting a sleepy head!

“Three things for three people.” Luya extended his right hand, smiling as he showed three fingers, “For each completed task, I will erase one name from the scroll according to your request, allowing you to see the results and not worry about me breaking my promise.”

Meng Qi hesitated for a moment and sighed lightly: “What is the first task?”

“Good.” Luya, seeing his agreement, smiled, “The Mirror of the Heavenly Emperor is closely related to me, but unfortunately, it fell into the hands of the Azure Emperor in ancient times. After many years of gathering, I have only collected a few fragments, not even as many as the Demon Buddha. However, my efforts have not been in vain, and I have finally received a clue. Before the fall of the Celestial Court, the Azure Emperor visited the Golden Emperor and entrusted the core fragment of the Mirror of the Heavenly Emperor to the Jade Pond for cultivation, after which its whereabouts became unknown. Only Taiyi Heavenly Venerable and Bhaisajya Tathagata appeared later, but neither returned to the Celestial Court, successively disappearing or perishing. Therefore, I suspect the core fragment of the Mirror of the Heavenly Emperor is still in the Jade Pond, and I hope you will go there to find it.”

The Jade Pond in the second layer of the Nine Heavens, the Golden Emperor… Meng Qi was stirred by these two terms, looking at Luya with a faint smile: “Aren’t you afraid I might keep the core fragment of the Mirror of the Heavenly Emperor for myself?”

“I have seen your character and your persistence, so naturally, I trust you.” Luya sent a streak of light, “This is another place that can enter the Nine Heavens, located in the extreme north of the Real World…”

Meng Qi took the light and asked one more question: “Are Zhang Yuan Shan, Fu Zhen Zhen, and others on the Investiture Scroll?”

“The Investiture Scroll has limited spots; only those who reach the Exoteric Realm can be listed. If you want to revive them, you can only rely on the Cycle Seal or reach the realm of the former Queen of the Underworld.” Luya did not hide anything, the light shifted, and his figure vanished. Then the vermilion gourd jumped, disappearing without a trace.

Meng Qi steadied himself with a few deep breaths, unsheathed the Overlord’s Blade, and his eyes gleamed with the radiance of the Dao Yi Glazed Lamp.

…

In a secret place on the grasslands, the “Demon Sage” Han Guang, dressed in wide robes and large sleeves, the “Dharma King of Salvation” nearly merged with the void, and the Blood Sea Rakshasa, shrouded in blood shadows, stood in different positions, watching the central altar where an aged shaman was performing a complex ritual.

Suddenly, the high sky cracked open, flowers rained down from the heavens, and countless streaks of light danced, forming a beam of light.

Within the beam, Gourdo’s figure slowly descended, holding the Heaven-Sundering Axe, his aura vast and mighty, countless points of wish-light swirling around him, rivaling his prime!

“I thought that after the Northern Zhou and Southern Jin swept the grasslands for many years, the Longevity Cult had suffered greatly, and the Khan couldn’t gain more wish-power. Who would have thought it would turn out like this! I was just a frog in a well.” Han Guang smiled faintly, unshaken and unafraid, as if casually chatting.

Gourdo laughed heartily:

“Thanks to my axe-brother, connecting the faith of the Eternal Sky from other worlds!”

The Blood Sea Rakshasa sighed in relief, chuckling, “With the Khan’s safe return, the situation is finally turning around!”

…

In a valley, the void suddenly caved in, forming a deep, terrifying vortex. A bolt of lightning shot out, crackling as it revealed Meng Qi’s figure.

With the Dao Yi Seal, the Overlord’s Blade, and the Void Seal, he shattered countless barriers to return to his own world.

Sheathing the long blade, Meng Qi stood with empty hands, his green robe fluttering as he gazed northward.

In the current world, he had already become one of the very top figures. His mere name represented the tide of the world. Alongside names like Master Lu, Su Wuming, Han Guang, and the Dharma King of Salvation, another name would now appear in the center!