The “Demon Sage” Han Guang had already become an Earth Immortal. By mastering the essence of the Tathagata Palm, reversed by the demonic Buddha A-nan, he completely fused his Heavenly Emperor Jade Manual with the Six Annihilation Yanmo inheritance. These powers no longer functioned separately, but instead complemented each other, fully unleashing their peerless strengths. Even without legendary characteristics, this fusion possessed unique divine marvels, far beyond the reach of ordinary Earth Immortals.
Meanwhile, Guldo seemed to have returned to his peak state, with the Heaven-Cursing Axe remaining awakened at the Celestial Immortal level. Additionally, there were the Crossing World Dharma King, who specialized in the Void Path at the Earth Immortal realm, and the Blood Sea Rakshasa, whose techniques were enigmatic, bizarre, ruthless, and terrifying. Throughout the vast martial world, few could survive a one-on-one confrontation against them. Perhaps only the ever-elusive Su Wuming could escape their lethal encirclement. Yet at this moment, within the Ice Palace, an enemy had managed to wound Guldo amidst an assault from these four sinister dharma bodies, forcing them to retreat from the grand hall while fighting. The enemy left no trace behind, as if it had never existed—such was the terror and unfathomable nature of this adversary!
“This place is not safe to linger.”
Meng Qi and Master Da Lu almost simultaneously transmitted this thought to each other. With the situation unclear and details unknown, it would be unwise to remain in the partially collapsed hall where disturbances had already occurred.
Their robes billowing, each holding a long saber or sword, they followed the trail of golden blood droplets toward the entrance leading to the Jade Pond.
Due to the battle between Han Guang and others against this “nonexistent” enemy, the Ten Directions Frozen Absolute Ice Spirit Formation across a wide area had been damaged. It was now in a slow recovery phase, leaving only the cave dwelling’s unique properties intact. Meng Qi sensed no wind or snow within his perception range. He could clearly see the ice-formed palace like a snow plain square, pavilions and corridors arranged in formation, and in the far distance, a crystalline spire faintly visible within a blizzard. Countless seals flowed across its entire body, exuding a mysterious aura. If Lu Ya’s words were correct, the top level of the spire was the entrance to the Jade Pond!
Meng Qi and Master Da Lu seemed like divine beings, surrounded by ethereal light and sword brilliance, flashing forward step by step, breaking through the Ice Palace’s inherent constraints, rushing swiftly toward the spire.
Yet they did not neglect their surroundings in pursuit of speed alone. This place bristled with danger, their senses limited in range. It was possible Han Guang and others were lying in ambush somewhere!
“Guldo’s blood bears divine essence. It seems he preserved his true soul by fusing with the Divine Marrow Pearl,” Master Da Lu warned Meng Qi while remaining vigilant. “If we encounter him again, we must not treat him merely as a martial dharma body. Doing so would make us vulnerable to his divine peculiarities.”
Only now did Meng Qi realize Guldo had become a deity. A thought stirred within him: “Only the Divine Marrow Pearl of the Eternal Heaven could restore him to the Earth Immortal level…”
Now, Guldo was the Eternal Heaven, and the Eternal Heaven was Guldo!
Without even considering that Guldo wielded the Heaven-Cursing Axe, the Eternal Heaven was already far more formidable than the Gu God, which remained at the primitive stage of blood sacrifices for divine favor.
Meng Qi suddenly sighed inwardly. Had he known this earlier, he would have brought Senior Master Bai into the Realm of Truth. The Divine Striking Whip had miraculous effects against deities, equivalent to an unparalleled divine weapon!
As he pondered, a sudden premonition seized him. A tingling sensation crept down his spine. Instinctively, he lifted the Overlord’s Severing Blade, his awareness stretching toward a shadowed corner to his right.
Almost simultaneously, Master Da Lu’s gaze also turned in that direction.
Both sensed something amiss at once!
“Someone is watching us…” A canopy of auspicious clouds and eerie radiance, resembling a water curtain, enveloped Meng Qi as he fixed his gaze on the corner, speaking in a solemn tone.
He had clearly felt someone’s gaze moments ago!
Yet the corner was empty, nothing but an ice wall!
“I felt it too,” Master Da Lu confirmed.
He had severed all connections with other selves, embracing only the self, achieving precise control. His danger perception approached the legendary, surpassing even Su Wuming. Thus, he was no slower than Meng Qi.
Although Meng Qi had also severed other selves and attained precise control, his cultivation level was slightly inferior. Fortunately, the Eight-Nine Arcane Art endowed him with danger premonitions, and the “Cause of Karma” granted him sensitivity to subtle connections, making him even marginally superior to Master Da Lu in this regard.
Their divine consciousness swept back and forth, crisscrossing like the sun, illuminating every detail of the corner, yet finding nothing.
Meng Qi activated his mystical art, his forehead splitting open. Before him, an illusory Dao Yi Glazed Lamp emerged, its indescribable colors radiating ever-spreading black-and-white light. The Cause of Karma extended everywhere, touching all outcomes.
A lantern composed of countless fine beams illuminated the corner, yet revealed no abnormal causal connections. It seemed the observer had severed the link the moment Meng Qi and Master Da Lu detected it!
Meng Qi withdrew the glazed lamp and silently transmitted to Master Da Lu, “Perhaps it’s the same ‘nonexistent’ enemy that Guldo and Han Guang encountered.”
Master Da Lu pondered briefly: “Let’s pretend to proceed normally, staying fully alert. Perhaps when he strikes, we can grasp the trace of his existence.”
All things are relative. To harm them, the enemy must expose himself equally. Something truly nonexistent could not accomplish harm.
Just as Meng Qi was about to respond, a sudden tightening in his heart prompted him to instinctively raise the Tyrant’s Overlord Saber in front of him. The blade roared, with thunder rumbling all around.
Dang!
The Tyrant’s Blade seemed to strike something invisible, trembling faintly. In mid-air, Meng Qi’s body suddenly grew heavier as he landed on the ground. The chaotic dark glow surrounding him devoured all nearby snow and ice.
Lightning clawed through the void, striking every corner, yet finding nothing. At the same time, Master Da Lu slashed behind him with his sword. The blade coiled like a true dragon, clashing metallically with something unseen, sparking countless embers.
After these two collisions, the area returned to stillness, windless and snowless, nothing unusual.
Meng Qi looked at Master Da Lu. Almost simultaneously, they shook their heads, signaling they still hadn’t found the “nonexistent” enemy’s trace. Only during the instant their weapons collided with him did the enemy seem to step from nonexistence into existence, but at that moment, they were too busy defending to seize the fleeting opportunity.
Judging from the attack, this enemy wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful, but was indeed bizarre and hard to guard against!
Perhaps I should feign defense with the saber while using the Supreme Infinite Primordial Celebration Canopy to endure a strike, thereby capturing his trail… Meng Qi formed a plan and shared his idea with Master Da Lu.
Master Da Lu said nothing more, only reminding Meng Qi to be cautious of the attack’s peculiar nature.
They continued forward, occasionally sensing invisible observation. This “nonexistent” enemy seemed to want to exhaust their mental vigilance, making them numb and slow, thus impairing their reactions.
After crossing the ice plain, ahead lay an area of clustered halls and pavilions, where blizzards once again swirled.
Meng Qi again felt that prickling sense of being watched. His gaze turned, finding nothing behind the beams and pillars.
At that moment, a sense of danger surged in his heart. The observation seemed to instantly shift behind him, launching an attack that perfectly embodied the art of feinting east and striking west.
Meng Qi swung the Overlord’s Saber behind him, deliberately slowing his movement slightly. With a muffled thud, the surrounding chaotic dark radiance lost its profound stillness, as if struck by an immense force. Unable to fully dissolve or absorb the impact, the dark radiance trembled violently, like a sea whipped into a raging storm. Some of the yin-soft forces even nearly pierced through the chaos, threatening to strike Meng Qi directly.
Opportunity!
The Overlord’s Desolate Blade slashed backward with sudden, lightning speed, aiming precisely where the Chaotic Gloom had been struck.
Plop!
The purple lightning saber still struck empty air, finding no enemy.
Meanwhile, Master Da Lu had once again blocked another strike from the “nonexistent” enemy.
“He’s even more bizarre than I imagined. Once he attacks, he immediately returns to ‘nonexistence’,” Meng Qi slightly frowned, his vigilance deepening.
This was one of the strangest enemies he’d ever encountered, surpassing even the Wolf King he faced during his Awakening.
Master Da Lu mused: “Perhaps ‘nonexistence’ is his fundamental state, while attacking existing enemies is his special state. Since the fundamental state doesn’t require deliberate maintenance, once he attacks, he can immediately return to nonexistence without any interval.”
“Nonexistence is the essence…” Meng Qi repeated, suddenly having an epiphany about something he’d known before. “Master Lu, perhaps this monster isn’t truly nonexistent, but merely appears nonexistent to us.”
“What do you mean?” Master Da Lu was somewhat puzzled.
The more Meng Qi thought about it, the more plausible it seemed: “Our main ways of perceiving existence are vision, hearing, touch, and spirit. Some substances are inherently special, precisely not detectable by these methods. Thus, to us, they seem nonexistent.”
It was like dark matter, invisible and undetectable by electromagnetic means, appearing nonexistent to ordinary people. Yet it could interact through gravity. This “nonexistent” monster was even more advanced, but likely in a similar situation.
“Logical. Those relying on eyesight are deceived by sight; those relying on spirit are easily betrayed by spirit,” Master Da Lu slowly nodded in understanding.
Following this line of thought, Meng Qi continued: “The ‘nonexistent’ monster is imperceptible to spirit, invisible to the eye, yet its observation creates our danger premonition. This indicates its existence on the spiritual level and in causal connections. However, it can automatically sever these connections, and its spiritual realm suppresses ours. Therefore, we might be able to target it through these aspects.”
Whether through the “Only Self Supreme” or the “Primordial Heart Seal,” either might be worth attempting.
At this moment, Master Da Lu inquired: “I witnessed your battle against the Gu God. It appeared you were able to amplify and enhance the heavenly principles within the Real Realm?”
“Yes,” Meng Qi did not hide it.
Master Da Lu nodded: “Normally, within a legendary cultivator’s cave dwelling, although I can draw upon the Real Realm’s aura, I cannot alter the heavenly principles here, only exerting slight influence. If amplified and enhanced, perhaps it could have miraculous effects.”
Meng Qi’s heart stirred. He immediately agreed: “Please give it a try.”
Meng Qi himself could also alter lower-realm principles by drawing upon the Real Realm’s aura, but his current cultivation base couldn’t simultaneously amplify them.
Master Da Lu’s surrounding sword shadows vanished. A single sword beam cut through the icy sky, illuminating the area, as he spoke solemnly:
“With this sword, this place shall have minds and reality united.”
Before he could finish speaking, the Dao Yi Glazed Lamp appeared before Meng Qi’s eyes. An illusory river surged around him as he slowly thrust forward with the Tyrant’s Overlord Saber.
The world underwent an instant and subtle transformation. First, Meng Qi beheld a swirling blend of chaos and light, then clarity emerged. Not far away, he spotted a floating, timeworn bronze coffin!
It’s him? Meng Qi’s eyes narrowed.
At this moment, the bronze coffin slowly opened, revealing a crack.
Through the crack, Meng Qi and Master Da Lu saw the coffin was empty, containing only a black object the size of a fist.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The black object throbbed, revealing itself to be a demon heart!
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Even Meng Qi, enveloped in the chaotic dim light, felt his heart pounding in resonance!
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