Lingyun Ferry, with its eight-mile width and water that does not buoy even the strongest swimmer, represents a true natural barrier for ordinary mortals. However, once one reaches the Outer Scenery realm and gains the ability to fly, the ferry holds no significance whatsoever. This is especially true now, as the individuals entering Mount Ling are all top-tier experts below the Legendary rank, for whom crossing the ferry is a trivial matter easily accomplished.
Behind the group, Meng Qi quietly adjusted his Fan Yun Crown before unassumingly crossing Lingyun Ferry, officially entering Ling Mountain.
Once their figures were obscured by the dark void, scattered rifts, and howling winds, a shimmer of colored glass appeared beside the ferry, outlining the silhouette of a monk clad in a robe spotless as snow—the manifestation of Meng Qi’s “One Qi Manifests Three Purities” ability, known as the “Zhen Ding Tathagata.”
Compared to before, the monk Zhen Ding appeared even more serene, his shoes and socks untouched by dust, his eyes reflecting a faint glassy glow, making him resemble an incarnation of the Buddha descending upon the world.
In the previous universe, Meng Qi had obtained three sacred relics containing the true essence of the Tathagata Palm techniques from the heretical Buddhist sect. These relics corresponded to the third move, “Smiling with the Flower,” the sixth move, “Pure Land in the Palm,” and the seventh move, “Universal Salvation,” all inherited from the remnants of the Demon Buddha. These acquisitions significantly enhanced and perfected this Tathagata manifestation.
As for the corresponding counter techniques of the Tathagata Palm—“Ten Thousand Demons Dancing,” “Heaven and Earth Collapsing Together,” and “Race Annihilation”—Meng Qi regarded them merely as references, fully understanding their nature without practicing them.
The Tathagata Zhen Ding walked, each step producing a lotus, proceeding downstream along Lingyun Ferry.
This river rolled endlessly, its destination unknown.
…
The void split apart, divine winds howled, black mist unfurled, and a profound corruption permeated the air. From near and far, ghostly wails reverberated, turning Ling Mountain into a nightmarish domain of the Nine Nether—where even a single step became an impossible ordeal for mortal beings.
However, whether it was Meng Qi, Qing Qiu, Tai Li, or Hui Guang, Luo Jia, and Fei Xiang, they were all immortals, beings of divine caliber. Even if they collided with void rifts, they might not necessarily be injured. Thus, they advanced as if walking on flat ground, quickly delving deep into Ling Mountain, passing by numerous ruined Buddhist temples.
Suddenly, a golden bead, shimmering with a glaze-like radiance, streaked through the air toward the gathered demon gods. It resembled a miniature star, entwined with faint wisps of black qi—its purity and corruption in perfect equilibrium. The slightest disturbance from an external force would trigger a violent explosion, akin to a common Celestial-grade divine weapon pushed to its breaking point, capable of annihilating everything in its vicinity.
Meng Qi, following behind, watched coldly as he evaluated the power of these supreme demon gods.
As the bead drew near, Hui Guang, the “Phoenix Demon Deity,” let out a low hum. His illusory wings of merit expanded, their feathers rising and converging into a thirty-three-tiered jeweled pagoda. This golden pagoda was indestructible, emitting strands of dark yellow light that twisted into coiling true dragons.
Puff!
The bead struck the pagoda, causing ripples, yet the structure remained unmoved. The ensuing explosion was engulfed and consumed by the coiling dragons, causing no damage whatsoever.
Protected by merit, he was immune to all evil!
With the Celestial Yellow Pagoda of Merit manifesting above his head, Hui Guang stepped forward, reaching a nearby dilapidated temple. There, a golden-bodied Bodhisattva, entwined with grayish-white death qi and black corruption, bore a face of compassion twisted into a grimace of malice. In its hand, a string of beads, whose power surpassed even its original body, was left with only a few beads remaining.
Hui Guang spread his right hand as if unfurling wings, his fingers filled with invisible flames. With a single palm strike, he hit the hand seal the Bodhisattva raised to defend itself.
The flames burst forth, unquenchable, swiftly reducing the Bodhisattva’s corpse into translucent crystal.
The glazed tiles collapsed inward, golden light bursting forth, forming a translucent sarira.
Hui Guang reached out, seizing the sarira and the remaining beads without looking back, saying only, “Move!”
Throughout this process, her steps never faltered, as if she had merely continued forward, casually swatting a fly.
“Truly a Phoenix just one step short of Legendary status,” Meng Qi nodded slightly, playing his role as a passive observer while his mind churned with strange ideas.
At this moment, he should pull out the Myriad Worlds Identifier Talisman and, as a broadcaster, host a live show titled “Adventure with the Yuan Emperor” or “My Journey into Ling Mountain with the Demon Deities,” which would surely be a huge hit.
The only issue was that Ling Mountain was cut off from the outside world, preventing any transmission of messages through karmic connections, leaving it as nothing more than a fantasy.
Racing along the mountain path, numerous zombie Arhats and Bodhisattvas were casually destroyed by Hui Guang, reduced to sariras.
As they approached a mountain bend, a sudden stir within the dense black fog unveiled a rotting mountain goat enveloped in an aura of death. Its power was horrifying, its malice overwhelming—like a demon god rising from the abyss of the Nine Netherworlds.
This was a supreme demonic deity that had assaulted Ling Mountain, corrupted by abyssal demonic energy and deathly aura, attaining a semblance of rebirth and terrifying intellect.
Luo Jia, the “Qilin Demon Deity,” cast a glance at the decaying goat. Multicolored divine radiance erupted around him, coalescing into an ancient and unadorned token overflowing with fortune. It commanded the heavens and the earth, and despite their close proximity, the decaying demon could never strike him—as if an insurmountable chasm lay between them.
Then, Luo Jia’s eyes emitted two beams of pure white light.
Upon contact, the malevolent qi dissipated, the corruption faded, and the goat’s limbs disintegrated into blood-soaked mud.
“Truly a fortune beast, and the ‘Evil-Dispelling Divine Light’ is equally impressive,” Meng Qi inwardly praised, maintaining a strong observational stance.
The group pressed forward without stopping. Since Hui Guang and Luo Jia had already stolen the limelight, Fei Xiang, unwilling to lag behind, quickened his pace and surged ahead. Any zombie Arhats, Bodhisattvas, demon gods, or demon kings he encountered were either pulverized with a few punches or torn apart and flung into the void—truly unstoppable and unmatched.
With such a group, progress was naturally swift. Before long, they had passed the mountainside, surpassing the area where Meng Qi and his companions had previously encountered Jia She and Wen Shu.
Just then, ahead, the half-remaining gate of a Buddhist temple opened, revealing a golden-yellow figure towering to fill the sky.
With a compassionate expression and large earlobes reaching his shoulders, the golden figure—partially tainted by streaks of gray-white and pitch-black corruption—emitted radiant beams of five-colored glazed light. Each ray carried floating golden lotuses, blooming and fading, as though countless universes converged around this form.
This was the remnant of a “Buddha!”
Meng Qi narrowed his eyes slightly. Weren’t all the Buddhas of Ling Mountain supposed to be part of the Myriad Buddhas Formation, remaining at the peak without manipulation?
How had this golden Buddha body left the formation and descended to the mountainside?
Was it under the influence of the Demon Buddha’s residual power again, or was it secretly controlled by another great adept?
Alternatively, after Sha Wujing carried away that mysterious corpse, had subtle changes occurred in Ling Mountain, causing the golden Buddha bodies trapped within the formation to be increasingly tainted by Nine Nether death intent, gradually regaining some form of consciousness?
No matter the reason, the path ahead would not be smooth sailing!
Indeed, joining Qing Qiu’s team was asking for trouble… Meng Qi inwardly berated himself.
Although the demon gods were proud and arrogant, they were not blindly ignorant. At the sight of the Buddha remnant, their expressions shifted, each pondering countless possibilities.
Tai Li stepped forward, five colors—crimson, azure, yellow, white, and black—flowing behind him, converging into a single beam that swept the golden Buddha body into its grasp.
The five-colored light trembled, ripples spreading outward. Tai Li seemed unable to maintain control for long. At this moment, Fei Xiang nodded slightly and opened his mouth.
The five-colored divine light quivered, and the golden Buddha body flew out. Fei Xiang’s mouth suddenly expanded, upper lip touching the sky and lower lip touching the earth, swallowing the remnant in one bite.
His belly writhed violently, struggling, but soon calmed. Fei Xiang chuckled, saying, “Tasted pretty good.”
You’re not a Peng Demon Deity; you’re more like a Taotie Demon Deity… Meng Qi’s lips twitched slightly.
“We must be even more cautious from now on,” the little fox Qing Qiu said gravely.
Though Hui Guang, Luo Jia, and Fei Xiang nodded, their expressions remained confident.
What followed were numerous encounters with remnants far stronger than the initial ones, but the four Demon Gods displayed their abilities, breaking through effortlessly, with only a slight reduction in speed.
Meng Qi observed the battle closely, gradually forming some conclusions in his mind:
“Compared to Qing Qiu’s cultivation-based Five Virtues, Hui Guang, who partially relies on her bloodline, has not yet achieved the full Five Virtues. Her Holy Virtue and Yin Virtue are clearly weaker, with only Merit, Morality, and Blessing matching her current cultivation level. Perhaps it’s Three Virtues for a Celestial, Four for a Legendary, and Five for a Cosmic…”
“Luo Jia excels in dispelling evil and malevolence and is a fortune manifestation. Engaging him places one in a realm where heaven and earth reject you, and fate despises you. Fortunately, I can slightly manipulate fate…”
“Fei Xiang’s physical strength is extremely powerful, rivaling my current Eight-Nine level, and he possesses the ability to devour all things…”
“Tai Li’s Five-Colored Divine Light has further improved, now capable of merging the five colors, encompassing all matter, leaving nothing untouched…”
Though the group’s pace slowed somewhat, they soon passed the mountainside. Ahead, the mountain path had collapsed, revealing a cliff, seemingly the aftermath of a recent fierce battle.
Suddenly, a thought struck Meng Qi, and he saw Luo Jia halt his steps, sensing something and gazing toward the other side of the cliff. There sat a massive dark-gold figure, resembling an elderly man with long eyebrows extending beyond his face. No void rifts surrounded him, and clusters of Bodhi flowers surrounded him. When one looked at the flowers, they bloomed, revealing a universe and a pure land; when one looked away, the flowers and mind became silent together.
The dark-gold figure clasped his hands, a faint smile on his lips, radiating profound Zen, embodying the phrase “the impermanent mocks me, and I mock the impermanent.”
Unlike the previous remnants, this golden body bore no sign of grayish-white death intent.
Meng Qi closed his eyes briefly, letting out a long sigh in his heart:
“Jia She…”
Since their last encounter, he seemed to have gained a faint semblance of consciousness, making him terrifyingly formidable.
“This won’t be easy. Everyone, work together,” said the usually arrogant Peng Demon Deity, his expression serious.
At that very moment, a deafening roar erupted from the abyssal darkness beneath the cliff, shaking the entirety of Ling Mountain. One after another, the skeletal remains of Arhats, Bodhisattvas, demon gods, and demon kings surged forth, coalescing into a tangible river of blood-yellow energy that stretched across the heavens, flowing endlessly. Even Hui Guang, Luo Jia, and Tai Li paled, their expressions turning grave.
The corpses from the cliff’s depths harmonized perfectly with the current Ling Mountain, seemingly its ruler, even more formidable than Jia She!
Seeing their solemnity, Meng Qi, surprisingly, felt relieved. Although the Yellow Spring corpses had undergone some mutations, his mark remained intact!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage