Chapter 1075: Twenty-Four Deva Realms

Dark clouds enveloped the planet, watermarks covering its surface, as the floodwaters receded, leaving behind a profound silence.

Yet Xu Xuan could see none of this; all he saw was the elegant, white-robed monk emerging gracefully from the dust, while echoing in his ears was a thunderous voice: “I am your junior master! Your junior master! Junior master…”

Instinctively resisting, he subconsciously refused to believe, and was about to retort, saying that the ancestors and other branches of the Xu family had never had any monks among them, and that they had always followed their own deities, when he was startled to see Meng Qi lift his sleeve, gathering the splashing raindrops and the vast ocean that submerged the entire planet.

This scene was so familiar—he had just displayed it himself.

This was the renowned ability of the Wuzhuang Temple lineage, known as “Cosmic Sleeve” (Xiuli Qiankun)—a genuine secret never revealed beyond its tradition!

Could he really be my junior master… Xu Xuan’s mouth slightly agape, his eyes filled with shock, maintaining only the defensive posture of a land immortal instinctively.

Ao Zhen and Ao Qing were equally stunned, their eyes dazed, filled with both surprise and confusion. Master Fahai was actually their husband’s (sister’s husband’s) junior master? And he had indeed displayed “Xiuli Qiankun”!

No wonder when he heard that their husband (sister’s husband) belonged to the Wuzhuang Temple lineage, his attitude changed instantly. The so-called test of whether he was the destined one blessed with great fortune was merely to confirm the truthfulness of their statements.

Truly, a great flood had washed over the Dragon King’s temple, and family members failed to recognize each other.

After their initial shock, joy surged within them. Smiling broadly, they thought, Master Fahai could traverse the vast starry expanse, subdue the past, present, and future incarnations, and with a single palm strike, plunge the Oversea King into a mental predicament. He was undoubtedly one of the most accomplished experts in the current era. Only ancient demons on the verge of becoming Great Sages or reclusive celestial immortals could rival him. With such a prestigious junior master, their husband (sister’s husband) no longer needed to worry about the pressure from the Dragon King, which would facilitate reconciliation and make them a true family.

Since Meng Qi’s “Tathagata Manifestation” had been sealed within the Xiuli Qiankun, voluntarily dissolving itself, the black-scaled dragon high above, having awakened from its endless cycle of reincarnation, emerged unscathed externally but with a dazed expression, momentarily unsure whether it was the Oversea King or merely a mindless centipede.

After a moment, it fully regained its senses, realizing it had fallen victim to the Buddhist technique. Saying it had been defeated wasn’t entirely accurate. At least with its terrifyingly powerful consciousness, Meng Qi might not be able to continuously drag it back through its past lives. It was entirely possible that before losing itself completely, it could break free and engage in a physical battle, which was its specialty. Yet, it couldn’t claim to be entirely unaffected either. It was said that human cultivators skilled in mental cultivation could endure multiple reincarnations without experiencing confusion, while although demon races surpassed humans in physical form and consciousness, they remained inherently flawed in terms of spiritual cultivation, much like most evil cultivators, often swayed by instinct.

As it prepared to launch another attack, it heard Meng Qi’s words about being a “junior master” and witnessed the “Xiuli Qiankun” technique, causing it to freeze momentarily.

Xu Xuan steadied himself, feeling that today’s events were too convoluted and bizarre. Seeing that Meng Qi did not attack, he cleared his throat, his voice reverberating across the planet: “Master… may I ask for your Dharma name? Although our Wuzhuang Temple lineage has declined, with only a few branches like the Xu family remaining, I have never heard of anyone becoming a monk.”

“Namo Zunshang Shengfo…” Meng Qi softly chanted the Buddhist manifestation of the Primordial Heaven Venerable, smiling: “Dear junior master Xu, have you not heard from your elders about an incident long ago? When the Celestial Court fell, Patriarch Zhenyuanzi vanished without a trace. Among the disciples of Wuzhuang Temple, there was disagreement on how to avoid calamities. Some wanted to hide their identities and retreat into secrecy, while others returned to the Fengshen World.”

Since he had learned the great ability “Xiuli Qiankun,” calling Zhenyuanzi “Patriarch” was not a loss.

“The Fengshen World?” The Oversea King grew increasingly puzzled, while Ao Zhen and Ao Qing seemed to recall something. Xu Xuan’s eyes lit up, his tone rising slightly: “The elders mentioned it. So Master, you are a descendant of that branch.”

Due to the shortened lifespans of beings, the event seemed distant in time. Xu Xuan had only heard it as a story back then, never connecting it to the present. Only after Meng Qi reminded him did he suddenly understand. Combining this with the “Xiuli Qiankun” Meng Qi had displayed, he no longer harbored any doubts.

Who else could know that a branch of the Wuzhuang Temple had returned to the Fengshen World and mastered “Xiuli Qiankun” if not a true descendant?

He descended on a beam of light, landing opposite Meng Qi, bowing respectfully and performing a solemn salute:

“Xu Xuan pays respects to Master Fahai, my junior master.”

He was temporarily unsure of the generational comparison between the Fengshen branch and his own, so he simply addressed Meng Qi as “junior master.”

“It brings me great comfort to see that your branch still thrives,” Meng Qi “sighed” with emotion, fully assuming the demeanor of a senior.

Ao Zhen and Ao Qing exhaled in relief, finally freed from their anxiety and unease, smiling broadly as they bowed:

“We pay respects to Master Fahai, our junior master.”

The Oversea King retracted his massive dragon form, transforming into a humanoid figure with a dragon’s head, landing on the mountain peak as well, smacking his lips: “Let’s keep things in perspective. Although I am sworn brothers with Xu Xuan, his junior master is not necessarily mine. Still, those techniques you displayed were indeed impressive.”

He raised his thumb, suspecting that the palm strike was the Tathagata Palm, while the ability to trace back past lives remained unknown in origin.

With demonic chaos plaguing the mortal world and the hidden sages of Dao and Buddhism, the Tathagata Palm had not been seen for countless years, so the Oversea King could only guess based on what he had witnessed.

“In facing you, I could do no less,” Meng Qi smiled.

After all, without the Immortal Dao Body or his true self, testing physical prowess was not worth the risk.

The Oversea King laughed heartily, while Ao Qing turned her eyes thoughtfully, asking in confusion: “Master Fahai, junior master, the Wuzhuang Temple belongs to the Daoist sect, so why have you taken the Buddhist path?”

This was also Xu Xuan’s question.

“In my childhood, I had a miraculous encounter and obtained the Tathagata Palm, and later received the Primordial Seal Edict, making me a practitioner of both Dao and Buddhism, walking my own unique path. I wear Buddhist robes and call myself ‘poor monk’; I wear Daoist robes and call myself ‘poor Daoist’. Alas, the techniques of the Wuzhuang Temple have mostly been abandoned, except for the frequent use of ‘Xiuli Qiankun’,” Meng Qi said, subtly planting a seed for future interactions with descendants of the Wuzhuang Temple.

“The Tathagata Palm? The Primordial Seal Edict?” Xu Xuan, the Oversea King, and others were not ignorant; they exchanged astonished glances. They had suspected he might know the Tathagata Palm, but they never imagined he had also obtained the “Primordial Seal Edict.”

With such supreme techniques, no wonder he had abandoned the Wuzhuang Temple’s martial arts.

“Junior master, since you returned from the Fengshen World, do you have any important matters?” With his doubts dispelled, Xu Xuan quickly asked.

Meng Qi sighed: “Our branch has been in decline; now only I and one other junior master remain. Before my senior master, who once led our lineage, passed away, he entrusted me with a jade box, asking me to deliver it to the descendants of the Wuzhuang Temple who remained here. As for what is inside—its nature, origin, whether it brings fortune or calamity—I do not know.”

He shifted the responsibility first, then feigned casual curiosity: “Do you know anything about the connection between this place and the Fengshen World? The more I travel here, the stranger it feels.”

Ao Qing spoke up eagerly: “I heard from my father, the Dragon King, that our original home was in the Fengshen World. Due to its decay, we later migrated to this world. Both are parts of the Real Realm.”

“Decayed…” After the Fengshen battles left the heavens and earth broken, had there been a large-scale migration? But Elder Bai had only mentioned that a few immortals “returned.” Could it be that only a portion of the immortals came back? Was this part of history forcibly erased or taken away by some powerful figure? What was he trying to conceal? As Meng Qi’s thoughts raced, he listened as Ao Zhen, Xu Xuan, and the Oversea King each gave their accounts, which were generally consistent but with slight discrepancies.

“I see,” Meng Qi nodded, then took out the green jade box given by Lu Ya, its surface unchanged—neither warm nor aged.

“Be careful,” Meng Qi handed the jade box to Xu Xuan.

Xu Xuan hurled the jade box far away, manipulating it remotely, removing its seals, and opening it.

Inside was a warm jade case, neither metal nor wood, beyond the Five Elements, split in two halves, each holding something. One was a liquid formed from sword qi and blade essence, shimmering with golden scales, brimming with metallic essence and immortal aura. The other was half a peach, its flesh crystal clear, exuding an alluring fragrance, while the pit was dark red, with raised patterns resembling a child with hands, feet, eyebrows, and eyes, giving off a faintly eerie vibe.

“The Jade Pool Water and half a Peaches of Immortality…” Meng Qi recognized the two items but could not fathom why Lu Ya had sent them to the descendants of the Wuzhuang Temple.

What was the significance of this?

They might be valuable to land immortals, but for someone like Lu Ya with supreme abilities, they held almost no worth.

His hand, holding the eerie Blood Peach, emitted faint, uncanny sounds, exuding an air of temptation. Meng Qi channeled his Daoist energy to suppress it before turning to Xu Xuan to observe the reaction of the descendants from Wuzhuang Temple.

“Peaches of Immortality!” Ao Zhen and Ao Qing recognized it faster than Xu Xuan.

Xu Xuan was still puzzled, turning back to Meng Qi: “Junior Master, I have already consumed remnants of the Ginseng Fruit; I don’t need the Peaches of Immortality.”

“Just take it; it was given by your ancestors,” Meng Qi could only reply this way.

Xu Xuan closed the jade box, holding it in his hands, suppressing his confusion, smiling as he asked: “Junior Master has come from afar; please visit our home.”

“The Xu family’s home is on that previous planet?” Meng Qi asked casually.

Xu Xuan shook his head, his smile deepening: “Our branch resides within one of the Twenty-Four Heavens.”

“The Twenty-Four Heavens?” Meng Qi was slightly surprised.

The Twenty-Four Heavens, originally transformed from the Dinghai Pearls, which elevated the Nine Heavens to Thirty-Three Heavens—were they that legendary artifact?

“Yes, when the Celestial Court fell, the Nine Heavens were destroyed, and the Twenty-Four Heavens scattered as twenty-four Dinghai Pearls. A deity retrieved one and transformed it into a heavenly realm. Seeing the demonic chaos plaguing the mortal world and pitying the hardships of humanity, this deity saved many humans into this realm, including our lineage. With the power of this heavenly realm, we can instantly reach any corner of the starry sea, discovering many suitable planets and gradually relocating the human race from the Four Great Continents to avoid the demon clans,” Xu Xuan said with reverence.

No wonder Ao Zhen and Ao Qing could appear on such a distant planet, and why they had temporarily evaded the “Karmic Consequence” at their current level. It was all due to the Dinghai Pearl, one of the Twenty-Four Heavens! Meng Qi suddenly understood, a thought crossing his mind—had all the lost Dinghai Pearls been recovered? Could he find one himself?

“May I ask the name of this deity? He truly is the savior of humanity,” Meng Qi asked.

Xu Xuan’s expression turned solemn: “He is the Mother of the Unborn, hence we named this heavenly realm ‘Unborn Heaven.'”

“The Mother of the Unborn? Unborn Heaven?” Meng Qi looked over in astonishment.