Drip, drip, drip. Meng Qi stepped onto the frozen battlefield soaked in blood. His footsteps gradually faded as he was about to pass through the broken stone gate.
“You entered the demonic land just to mock and taunt Me?” suddenly spoke the silent “Six Dao Tianmo.”
If not for a specific purpose, why bother speaking so many words? And if you truly wished to eliminate evil, wouldn’t there at least be some sign of intent to fight?
Its grasp of human psychology was extremely precise, but it also indirectly admitted to being the “Great Freewill Prince.”
Meng Qi halted his steps. The figure in black martial attire still kept his back toward the towering “Great Freewill Prince.” He chuckled lightly, “In this era, it’s rare to encounter a living, vibrant legendary expert. I couldn’t help but feel curious.”
“Living and vibrant…” The Great Freewill Prince savored these four words, momentarily seeming at a loss for words.
“Several great mysteries of ancient times all involve Jiuyou and the Heavenly Court. The one most connected to both is undoubtedly Your Lordship. Therefore, I merely wish to hear some secret tales to satisfy my curiosity.” Meng Qi slowly turned around, facing the Great Freewill Prince directly, his expression calm.
Before knowing this matter involved the Great Freewill Prince, he had entered the demonic land intending to eliminate potential dangers and prevent evil spirits from the Netherworld from wreaking havoc upon the human world. Now, however, he had developed different thoughts.
The powerful beings entangled in his karmic affairs were mostly ancient figures. Understanding ancient secrets was an indirect way of working toward freeing himself from their influence!
“Destruction, Creation, Mind Devils, and Secrets are My four faces. If you wish to hear ancient secrets, you’ve indeed come to the right evil being.” The Great Freewill Prince smiled slightly. His originally six-colored, single-eyed face rotated, revealing a pitch-black demonic visage devoid of eyes, nose, mouth, or ears—like a night sky stripped of stars, exuding depth, mystery, and eeriness. “However, many secrets are deeply entwined. If I reveal them, it won’t be any safer than killing you. Perhaps the moment I speak, a Zhenxian sword might arrive from the past or future, erasing My very existence.”
Arriving from the past or future… Meng Qi didn’t dwell on the Great Freewill Prince’s example of the Zhenxian sword, since deliberate implications were practically the same as outright revelations. He assumed the mention was just a casual exaggeration to enhance persuasiveness. But the following statements were rather enigmatic, leaving him puzzled.
With the help of the Three Lives Hall, the “Solar Sovereign,” hidden within the past, could act across eons. Once reaching the level of the Three Purities, could one act at any time?
“I know my limits. I don’t wish to know too many secrets, nor will I provoke any great being.” Meng Qi’s expression turned slightly grave. “Did the Demon Lord truly perish at the hands of the Celestial Emperor, leaving no hope of rebirth?”
If the Demon Lord lived, the Great Freewill Prince would likely never find peace. Undoubtedly, He would have sought every means to confirm this.
The Great Freewill Prince covered his dark, profound face with his right hand, his tone emotionless and calm. “Unless the Celestial Emperor has other plans, the Demon Lord will have no remaining life force. His imprints have nothing to do with rebirth.”
“The Demon Lord hadn’t yet crossed over, yet dared to attack the Heavenly Court. It’s truly incomprehensible,” Meng Qi remarked, as if casually chatting with the Great Freewill Prince.
“The Demon Lord gained some fortunate opportunities. After Zhenwu’s disappearance, he overcame all hardships, reached the other shore, and naturally wished to make an attempt.” The Great Freewill Prince slightly paused on the word “opportunities,” implying something profound, yet refraining from elaborating further.
This matched the judgment of Zhenwu’s evil aspect. Yet Meng Qi found it hard to believe the Demon Lord could have reached the other shore in such a “short” time… He pondered thoughtfully.
At this moment, the Great Freewill Prince lowered his right hand and clapped it with his left, sighing, “It seems you’re trying to use ancient secrets to find opportunities for maneuvering. I’ve already sensed danger. I can’t say more, even if you offer the ‘Yuanxin Seal’ with both hands.”
Meng Qi paused briefly, his mind stirring slightly, then turned directly and strode out of the demonic land without hesitation, not even sparing a glance for the ambiguous figure of Lan Jingtian.
The Great Freewill Prince chuckled mockingly, “It’s useless. Legends have already touched the Dao, fundamentally elevating themselves. Through karmic connections, they know all your schemes and intentions. Great beings who have reached the other shore exist everywhere across past, present, and future. Your small tricks and plans have already been completely exposed to them. What do you have to escape this chessboard?”
He seemed eager to repay Meng Qi for the previous deep contempt.
Meng Qi didn’t stop or turn around. “Your Lordship aims to plant shadows in my heart, letting oppression, despair, and frustration brew into delicious fruits, creating irreparable mental vulnerabilities, thus preventing me from attaining the Dharma Body?”
“This is a common tactic of the Tianmo, but it’s also effective because it speaks the truth,” the Great Freewill Prince candidly admitted.
Meng Qi smiled. “Unfortunately, I’ve known this all along. After adjustment and tempering, I’ve already emerged from the shadow.”
“With countless universes and boundless heaven and earth, how many can attain eternal life? In the end, it all comes down to ‘death.’ Can there be a worse fate? As long as I’ve strived wholeheartedly, I’ll have no regrets even in death.”
This was his genuine belief: grasp the present, don’t be overwhelmed by despair or oppression. After all, in life, one shouldn’t dwell in anxiety and hesitation over an inevitable future death, forgetting the beauty of life. Provided I don’t involve my mentors and loved ones, I should strive to improve myself and seize every opportunity. If I succeed in breaking free, then joy and liberation will follow. Even if I fail, I’ll still have lived a brilliant life with experiences from two lifetimes. Like a meteor, though brief, it can illuminate the night sky!
This mindset had originated from his days as an ordinary person on Earth, where everyone shared the same fate—few lived beyond a hundred years. Now, drawing upon this perspective, he had emerged from the shadows, clearing his mind and no longer wandering aimlessly or feeling the suffocating frustration of a headless fly darting about without success.
Just as the Great Freewill Prince was about to mock with a sarcastic remark, intending to imply that Meng Qi’s fearlessness was mere bravado—since stronger beings tend to fear death more as they prolong their lives—Meng Qi suddenly continued, “Moreover, legendary experts aren’t invincible. Your Lordship can only project this much power, indicating that your true self hasn’t fully awakened yet. Perhaps the opportunity hasn’t arrived, and premature awakening would lead to death by lifespan depletion. Or could it be that someone greater has sealed You?”
“You first deceived me into seizing the flesh of the Great Freewill Prince, likely harboring intentions to escape the seal Yourself, didn’t You?”
“Therefore, many surviving experts today are merely prolonging their existence or are imprisoned. I absolutely still have chances!”
Meng Qi spoke with full confidence but carefully avoided mentioning the gray stone hall and the Jade Deficiency Palace. He didn’t even direct his thoughts toward those matters, as if they held no significance, implying that he could find opportunities solely through his own efforts.
As he spoke, Meng Qi had already walked away along the corridor. The Great Freewill Prince remained silent, watching him disappear from sight.
Though the corridor was cold, it was vastly different from the demonic land. Meng Qi didn’t feel the slightest chill, his steps steady and unhurried as he ascended slowly. Yet inwardly, he remained deeply vigilant.
Since the Great Freewill Prince had awakened slightly but couldn’t manifest more power, why did He remain in the demonic land? Surely He couldn’t have known in advance that the Yuanxin Seal would arrive and thus waited specifically for Meng Qi. There must be another purpose!
Before clarifying the situation, leaving first was the best choice.
Moreover, his last words, seemingly meant to mock and pressure him, undermining his confidence in escaping the great beings, actually revealed some useful information. For instance, legendary experts, through karmic connections, could know all his schemes and intentions. Those who had reached the other shore existed everywhere across past, present, and future.
If he failed to imagine their terrifying power, he would surely make mistakes in the future!
Could it be that the Great Freewill Prince, unable to contain himself, had secretly involved Himself in this game?
…
Inside the demonic land, the “Great Freewill Prince” transformed his face again, reverting to the heart-devil form with six colors and a single eye, gazing down at the “Nine-fingered Blue-blood” Gao Qianyuan.
The confusion in Gao Qianyuan’s eyes vanished, showing no trace of his earlier abnormality. He solemnly retrieved a black wooden box from within his robe and respectfully presented it forward: “Water Ancestor instructed me to deliver this item.”
With a wave of His hand, the Great Freewill Prince summoned the wooden box, gently caressing its dust-covered surface with a slight smile. “Convey My greetings to Dao Brother.”
As the words faded, eerie winds arose. The Great Freewill Prince’s figure became illusory, and a fissure opened in the ground, spewing forth swirling black demonic energy.
His figure plunged into the rift, which then vanished. The demonic land lost its extreme coldness, leaving only Gao Qianyuan and the still-dazed Lan Jingtian.
In the darkened demonic realm, filled with swamps and filth, the Great Freewill Prince’s form materialized midair. He ascended directly, piercing through the clouds, transforming into a true great sun—a blazing black flame radiating an aura of suppression.
Instantly, the upper layers of the demonic realm vaporized. Mountains rose, towering toward the sky.
This black sun, countless planets in size, soared higher into the vast universe, entering a Milky Way, merging into a vast starry river shaped like a black “dragon.”
As the sun took its place, the one-eyed dragon was no longer solitary, yet the world-destroying power remained barely perceptible.
“The words have been conveyed to Su Meng,” the Great Freewill Prince’s voice reverberated in an incomprehensible manner across a starry river where even light would take countless years to traverse, coalescing upon a planet filled with filth.
Atop the highest peak of this planet sat a figure in green robes, refining thick impurities.
He lifted his head, revealing an ordinary face—the unmistakable Qi Zhengyan.
“What did he ask?” Qi Zhengyan murmured as if speaking to himself.
“He asked whether the Demon Lord had truly perished and whether there remained any possibility of possessing another’s body,” the Great Freewill Prince replied.
Qi Zhengyan remained silent for a while before finally saying, “As my power increases, I will gradually loosen your seal.”
…
Taking the opportunity, Gao Qianyuan killed Lan Jingtian and stealthily fled the demonic land, returning to the Golden Tent.
As he stepped out of the corridor, he suddenly stopped. Sitting atop the tent opposite was Su Meng, dressed in black martial attire, his massive long saber planted in the ground before him.
“I’ve been waiting for you a long time,” Meng Qi’s right hand slowly reached for the hilt, his aura steady and formidable.
As for the blue-blooded being, due to the Ruan family’s connection, Meng Qi was determined to eliminate him at all costs!
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