The future holds countless possibilities; perhaps a mere thought could mark the divergence between Heaven and the Nine Netherworlds. Yet, Han Guang—the formidable Left Path Grandmaster, renowned as the “Demon Sage” for his ability to summon clouds with a flip of his palm and rain with a turn—has unexpectedly been designated as the next sect leader of the Xuantian Sect, a pillar of the Orthodox Path. This left Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei, who were well-acquainted with his style and methods, utterly disillusioned, as if trapped in a dream.
“There is no inherent good or evil in the nature of the mind; good and evil arise from the stirrings of intention. To know good and evil is innate moral understanding, while to do good and eliminate evil is the cultivation of comprehending things… Perhaps, as the Sage of Mind once said, there are neither inherently born sages nor demons so wicked from birth that their heads fester and their feet ooze pus. Much of a person’s morality is shaped by their postnatal environment. But then, what is innate nature…?” Meng Qi pondered deeply, conveying his thoughts. Perhaps the soul, after reincarnation, carries certain attributes—remnants of its original nature when first born from the cosmos.
Jiang Zhiwei was also pondering this profound question. Yet, throughout history, who could ever fully comprehend it without the corresponding experiences and deep cultivation? Where would there be sudden enlightenment without such foundations?
Therefore, she stored the question in her heart and smiled slightly, saying, “I really want to see this Demon Sage, the pillar of the Orthodox Path, this humble and compassionate Demon Sage.”
Meng Qi thought for a moment and replied, “The Demon Sage usually appears as a cultivated Daoist gentleman, composed and elegant, always smiling and rarely showing emotions on his face. If one didn’t know beforehand, just seeing him would make it hard to consider him a heretic. Therefore, one can imagine how appealing the Xuantian Sect’s outward appearance must be.”
As he spoke, Meng Qi watched the young Jiang Zhiwei dragging a long sword, taller than herself, to a corner and placing it there as if it now belonged to her. Then she picked up her small wooden sword and, under the guidance of her senior brothers and sisters, began practicing the foundational sword techniques with great enthusiasm. Her eyes gradually brightened, and a sense of joy radiated from her, dispelling her earlier grievances.
There was nothing more joyful for her than learning sword techniques.
Jiang Zhiwei gazed tenderly at her younger self, her expression serene and peaceful, enjoying the pure joy of learning sword techniques for the first time—a purity she had never forgotten.
Standing by with a smile, Meng Qi listened to a disciple passionately discussing the current situation and the rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, while silently contemplating the differences between this fragment of cosmic time and the real world through telepathic communication:
“Legends say that even if fragments of cosmic time split apart, another legend will not emerge. From this, we can deduce many things. For example, the legendary Senior Su will not be reborn in this fragment of cosmic time. Legendary treasures and artifacts will remain only as myths, without physical remnants—just like the Tianzhu Axe and the Minghai Sword. These two points have already been confirmed, providing preliminary evidence for our hypothesis.”
“Following this line of thought, Lu Daxian would not exist, and the true soul of Chonghe has already returned to the Fengshen Bang and thus would not exist either,” Jiang Zhiwei added.
Meng Qi nodded slightly and interrupted the disciple’s narrative with a smile: “Do you happen to know of Chonghe Daoist of the Chunyang Sect and Lu Daxian of the Huamei Villa?”
The disciple was momentarily stunned: “Of course I’ve heard of them. In the great calamity forty years ago, Chonghe Daoist, ranked second on the Heaven List, engaged in a fierce battle with the Living Buddha Hatuketu, ranked first. He was ambushed by Kuiniu, the demon king of the beast tribe, and attained Nirvana at the Two Worlds Mountain. Hatuketu and Kuiniu were both severely wounded by Chonghe in his final moments. Hatuketu has not fully recovered from his injuries and has dropped to third place on the Heaven List, while Kuiniu has not reappeared in the past forty years.”
This great calamity brought continuous turbulence, and since it was not long ago, many details have not been lost. Storytellers often recount these events, so even ordinary disciples know the general outline.
“Senior Chonghe fell forty years ago…” Meng Qi was puzzled. Unlike Su Wuming, who had simply disappeared, Chonghe had perished four decades prior.
Jiang Zhiwei contemplated the name “Hutuketu”: “He was the Living Buddha who once dominated the western regions and the grasslands, the master of the Secret Buddhist Wheel-turning Living Buddha. He had obtained a secret Buddhist divine weapon and attained the ‘Destroyer King Body,’ nearly elevating the Secret Buddhist sect to a top-tier force. At that time, he indeed engaged in a deadly battle with Senior Chonghe. However, during that confrontation, Lu Daxian had just achieved the Metal-Indestructible Body, and together with Abbot Kongwen, they successfully repelled the ambush by the demonic tribe. For some reason, Daman also refrained from intervening, leading to mutual losses on both sides.”
“Later, the severely wounded Hatuketu was opportunistically slain by the newly emerged Fashen Gourdo, thereby achieving Gourdo’s illustrious reputation, while the whereabouts of the Secret Buddhist divine weapon remain unknown.”
“This world’s Gourdo did not appear due to the Tianzhu Axe, so Hatuketu has not yet perished,” Meng Qi realized.
The disciple from Xijian Pavilion continued: “Lu Daxian of Huamei Villa, having accumulated strength over time, was initially obscure but gradually rose to prominence. He was highly praised by Chonghe Daoist and Abbot Kongwen, who believed he could surpass others and attain the Fashen before the Cui brothers. Unfortunately, forty years ago, during that great calamity, he was forced to break through prematurely and perished under the heavenly thunder tribulation.”
“Again, forty years ago…” Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei simultaneously transmitted their thoughts to each other. This time point had seen too many changes, making this world distinct from the real one.
“Could this be the splitting point of the cosmic fragment? Those who existed before this point still exist, but those who became more closely associated with legends soon perished, and those related to legends afterward would not even be born,” Meng Qi boldly speculated.
Jiang Zhiwei nodded and further speculated: “Perhaps those who became reincarnators around the forty-year mark would also perish one after another.”
Because the Six Paths surpassed legends!
“This can also be verified…” After transmitting his thoughts, Meng Qi asked again: “Was Xunhe Daoist’s entry into the Xuantian Sect also forty years ago?”
“Yes, how did you know?” The disciple from Xijian Pavilion was stunned; he hadn’t mentioned it himself!
Indeed, Meng Qi smiled and said, “Because I feel that many significant events occurred forty years ago. By the way, how is the Huamei Villa doing now? Is ‘Ice Fairy’ Ye Yuqi still around?”
“After Lu Daxian’s demise, the Ye sisters also passed away one after another. Currently, the Huamei Villa is still doing relatively well, supported by a Grandmaster, neither particularly strong nor weak compared to other sects.” The disciple from Xijian Pavilion answered honestly, not doubting for a moment that the person who seemed to know everything was actually familiar with the relatively obscure Huamei Villa.
“Forty years ago was indeed the turning point,” Meng Qi transmitted his thoughts to Jiang Zhiwei, suddenly frowning. “But you only recently sensed the emergence of a new ‘other self,’ and the little one is clearly already six or seven years old.”
Jiang Zhiwei’s eyes twitched, unsure whether to cry or laugh: “Don’t call him a little one.”
That was somewhat embarrassing.
She paused for a moment and said: “We don’t know where this fragment of cosmic time is hidden. Without a subtle perception, it might be impossible to find. Perhaps it is in a place where the river of time flows more swiftly, and by the time the perception reaches the real world, much time has already passed.”
“This possibility cannot be ruled out,” Meng Qi said, momentarily unable to think of another explanation.
At this moment, Jiang Zhiwei suddenly recalled something: “Since legendary artifacts are inseparable, what about our sect’s ‘Slaying the Dao to See Oneself’ true essence inheritance? And what of the true essence inheritance in the ‘Taishang Sword Scripture’?”
“Slaying the Dao to See Oneself” is one of the Seven Swords That Cut the Sky and also a true intent legacy. Undoubtedly, it surpasses legends. Although the “Taishang Sword Sutra” was later comprehended from “Slaying the Dao to See Oneself” and slightly diverged, generations of great experts from Xijian Pavilion have never managed to cultivate it to the legendary realm. However, according to the Six Paths’ evaluation, it is considered peerless, indicating potential for legends despite not having high merits. In other words, its true intent legacy is also at the legendary level, unless a great expert proficient in this martial art remakes it; otherwise, it will not split on its own.
“It should be so. Perhaps this Xijian Pavilion no longer has ‘Slaying the Dao to See Oneself,’ leaving only the hand-copied secret editions of the ‘Taishang Sword Sutra’ through the generations,” Meng Qi suspected this was likely the case.
As Jiang Zhiwei listened to the disciple’s chatter, she looked up at the familiar scenery and sighed: “No wonder cosmic fragments rarely manage to elevate themselves, gradually becoming mediocre.”
“These senior and junior disciples are so vivid and amiable, and the sect is almost exactly as I remember. If they indeed lack the true intent of inheritance, it’s truly regrettable.”
Especially since many of the elders she respected had already passed away in her time. Now, watching them come and go, it felt as if they had been resurrected, making her especially want to do something to make up for her feelings.
“How about improving their martial arts techniques? Doing some good deeds anonymously,” Meng Qi suggested with a smile, glancing at his chest and muttering to himself, Please call me the Young Pioneer!
Jiang Zhiwei frowned and said, “At present, I can only produce true intent inheritances up to the Dharma Body level. However, this involves the sect’s precepts, so I’m afraid I can’t secretly pass them on. Moreover, it’s best not to let the real-world sects and families know about what’s happening here. Facing an identical ‘other self,’ very few people can remain composed—nine out of ten would be bewildered, leading to inner demons.”
Meng Qi, confident and assured, said: “Then we’ll just demonstrate. Under the foundation of the same martial art, there will always be some realizations. As for how much they comprehend, it depends on them.”
Jiang Zhiwei, decisive as always, nodded slightly after a brief hesitation: “But first, we must confirm that there is indeed no complete inheritance.”
Meng Qi smiled slightly: “Don’t worry, leave it to me.”
“Do you have a way?” Jiang Zhiwei’s mood lightened.
“Of course, I am, after all, Yuan Shi Tian Mo,” Meng Qi joked, turning towards the mountain peak with his hands behind his back, waiting for a Grandmaster qualified to know the sect’s secrets to appear.
After walking for a while, ahead came Yu Wanli, known as “Withering Trees Bloom,” seemingly having retained his confidence without the comparison to Su Wuming, and having already become a Grandmaster!
Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged a glance, stepped forward, and bowed: “Are you the venerable Senior Yu, known as ‘Withering Trees Bloom’?”
“Indeed, may I ask who you are?” Yu Wanli, puzzled, responded with a smile.
Who were these visitors?
Meng Qi smiled faintly and said, “Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that I know the true intent and legacy of ‘Slaying the Dao to See Oneself’ is lost!”
Yu Wanli’s eyes narrowed sharply, his mind briefly going blank.
This secret, crucial to the sect’s survival, had been discovered by an outsider!
How did he know?
After the initial shock, the sword in his scabbard suddenly shot out.
Inside the hall where the Xijian Pavilion enshrined the ancestral tablets of past generations, the sect leader Zhou Taichong was facing the “Slaying Me Sword,” his face filled with worry. Forty years had passed, yet the situation had shown no signs of improvement.
On that day, the true essence of both “Slaying the Dao to See Oneself” and the “Taishang Sword Sutra” mysteriously faded away, leaving behind only the handwritten secret manuals of past ancestors, each embodying their own path. This loss greatly diminished the inclusiveness of the legacy, making its transmission increasingly difficult.
The Xijian Pavilion had concealed this matter for forty years, fearing that other sects would discover it. They had secretly searched for other peerless martial arts to replace it, but had never succeeded.
With a deep sigh, he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. At that very moment, he happened to witness a pure and radiant sword light piercing through the heavens. It seemed to emanate from the depths of his own heart, illuminating the mountain peaks, the forbidden techniques, and even his physical body—rendering them all illusory and translucent. The surroundings grew vast and misty, allowing him to perceive his primordial spirit directly, as though he had finally discovered his true “self”!
“Slaying the Dao to See Oneself?”
“Slaying the Dao to See Oneself!”
Zhou Taichong’s mind buzzed with shock, his body trembling involuntarily.
Since the establishment of the Xijian Pavilion, although the sect possessed the true essence of “Slaying the Dao to See Oneself,” without the “Cutting the Sky’s General Outline,” no one had ever succeeded in mastering it, making it impossible to recreate this unparalleled sword technique. They could only rely on the single sword strike their founding ancestor had witnessed during his extraordinary encounter to envision its form.
Yet now, imagination had become reality. The “Slaying the Dao to See Oneself” had actually appeared before his very eyes!
The sword light was pure and ethereal, enveloping the entire mountain peak, making everything seem like a dream.
Zhou Taichong was utterly captivated by the spectacle before him. It wasn’t until the faint hum of the “Slaying Me Sword” resonated that he suddenly regained his composure. Wielding his divine weapon and activating the grand formation, he extended his spiritual senses outward to discern who was demonstrating the “Slaying the Dao to See Oneself” technique for the Xijian Pavilion!
In the emptiness and haze, he saw two figures—one wearing a blue Daoist robe with streaks of gray at the temples, and the other in a yellow dress, just sheathing her sword. Behind them, Yu Wanli stood in a daze, his expression shifting as if in a dream.
The two figures did not linger, disappearing in a few steps amidst the residual sword light. Only the man in the blue Daoist robe reached out to ruffle the head of his newly accepted disciple, Jiang Zhiwei.
As the figures vanished, the “Slaying the Dao to See Oneself” from just moments ago seemed like a dream.
Zhou Taichong wanted to pursue them but had already lost their trail. He could only sigh: “The world truly has such immortals, acting casually and leaving no trace, like a dragon whose head is seen but not its tail. Could it be a good fortune once sown by our sect?”
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