The evening breeze blew gently, the waves rising and falling softly. A small boat looked like a tiny black speck on the vast blue sea, moving against the current.
Sitting upright at the bow, Meng Qi felt the cool wind on his face, his thoughts surging like the waves.
After Liu Luo left, constrained by the powerful figures behind her and the Master of the Six Dao Reincarnations, Meng Qi had temporarily abandoned the attempt to comprehend the Overlord’s Ultimate Blade. Instead, he was seeking and waiting patiently for a suitable and secretive opportunity, so he didn’t linger at the Three Immortals Island. He returned to Jiangdong as if wandering aimlessly.
“Previously, I speculated that consuming one of the so-called ‘Triple Life Fruits’ might forge a unique bond between individuals, enabling one to awaken the other, thereby forming a resistance against the Fisherman or Possessing Spirit. Although Gu, the demon girl, remained ambiguous and evasive without confirming anything, Liu Luo’s remark that ‘the powerful figures behind would be displeased’ appears to indirectly validate this theory,” Meng Qi reflected, as this was the matter that concerned him the most.
Now, it appeared that the fruit he had consumed was not harmful at all, but rather added a brick to the wall, helping him extricate from his current predicament. In a crucial moment in the future, he might even use this connection to awaken himself, gain the upper hand, and escape the Fisherman.
Of course, it couldn’t be said that Gu Xiaosang acted out of kindness; her situation was similar to his, and she too needed such benefits.
Though other matters were hard to judge, her habit of never acting without benefit was certain.
Meng Qi lightly tapped the bow of the boat, the thudding sounds like a melody drifting far away.
Starting from Gu Xiaosang’s words about “a year of bad luck,” after several events and the passage of time, Meng Qi had come to understand the situation clearly. Gradually, he had cleansed his mind, calmed his heart, realizing that sadness, grief, hesitation, suppression, and anger were unhelpful and only interfered with judgment. The only solution was to transform these feelings into motivation, using them as short-term “martial cultivation resolve,” enhancing his inner desire, forging his martial cultivation will, spurring self-improvement, waiting patiently for the opportunity, neither acting recklessly nor hastily, nor giving up in despair.
At worst, the outcome would merely be death. He was unwilling to die, but neither would he tremble with fear at the thought of possible death.
“However, things must be done secretly, without implicating my masters and loved ones,” Meng Qi had already made his decision and direction. He suddenly felt the heavy weight of recent days lifted, his body and mind feeling light and free. Even the slightly briny sea breeze he breathed felt wonderful, and the boundless ocean and vast sky were so awe-inspiring and purifying to his soul.
“A laugh across the sea, waves crashing on both shores…” Meng Qi slapped the side of the boat, singing boldly. The vast sea was empty except for himself, the entire world belonging solely to him. Slowly, he began to regain the carefree attitude he once had when first entering the martial world.
The endless sky and boundless sea, sensing no human presence, felt so magnificent. Compared to them, he was so small, yet within this smallness lay an inner world, an inner Taiji. With a mere gesture, he could destroy all that “magnificence” within his sight.
This somewhat contradictory contrast was one of Meng Qi’s earlier mental struggles. Possessing extraordinary power while maintaining an ordinary person’s mindset naturally led to confusion and hesitation. However, it was impossible to abandon one’s personality and all ways of dealing with the world to become like a stone, an unemotional law. Instead, one must build upon past experiences, reconstructing one’s worldview and values, integrating them with the heart, thus advancing further and more steadily, with fewer disturbances from inner demons.
For example, as one’s lifespan increases compared to those below the Opening Heaven’s Gate stage who rarely live past a hundred, there arises a sense of temporal dissonance, as if the two were different beings. Currently, with his rapid progress and being only in his early twenties, this feeling wasn’t very pronounced. However, in the future, if he could achieve the Dharma Body, aided by the Eastern Longevity Pill and Jade Void Golden Pill, after a long period of secluded cultivation, the Opening Heaven’s Gate friends he knew might have perished or attained transcendence.
At that time, how to adjust to the resulting emotional changes and correctly view the contrast between brief brilliance and long years would be the core of heart cultivation. According to some ancient texts, some Dharma Bodies regarded themselves as supreme immortals, treating mortals as insignificant ants, cold and emotionless. Others simply avoided contact altogether, as beings of different levels had no common language.
These approaches couldn’t be deemed right or wrong, but Meng Qi disliked them. What he admired most was the attitude of a senior practitioner: “Being emotional without being burdened.” Not considering oneself superior, nor being indifferent to ordinary people, nor grieving endlessly over the deaths of friends. Enjoying but not indulging—this was exemplified by Zhuangzi, who beat a drum and sang joyfully at his wife’s death, embodying this mindset and, at the same time, understanding the essence of life and the mystery of life and death.
As his thoughts wandered, Meng Qi’s mind felt both lively and profound, experiencing an indescribable beauty. He felt his spirit extending infinitely, the seawater clear and transparent, every detail visible. If not for the constraints of the physical body, he might have reached anywhere, creating unique things merely by imagination.
Suddenly, his heart stirred. He looked eastward and saw a small boat speeding toward him. If not for his recent mental clarity, he might have only noticed it when it was close!
On the boat stood a young Taoist priest with disheveled hair, wearing a strange green robe. His black hair danced in the wind, revealing a refined and otherworldly face. His aura was ethereal, making it hard for Meng Qi to gauge his strength.
When the two boats met, the young Taoist looked at Meng Qi, his lips curving into a gentle, friendly smile.
Unconsciously, Meng Qi returned the smile.
The small boat passed Meng Qi’s, speeding like lightning and thunder into the dark curtain ahead, seemingly heading back to the Central Plains.
Meng Qi hesitated for a moment, suddenly recalling something. Once, the swordsman Ning Tai had told him that in the East Sea, he encountered a young man in a strange green robe. That man often muttered, “Who am I? Who is me?” Could it have been the same person just now?
Dongyang Shenjun left behind the words, “Who am I? Who is me,” and the man who muttered “Who am I? Who is me” had visited the Carefree Valley, investigated the True Martial’s suppression of the Yellow Spring, and even locked the gatekeeper beside the door, behaving mysteriously…
But the Taoist just now appeared clear-minded and energetic, showing no signs of madness or self-talk.
Meng Qi wasn’t certain. Immediately, he flew into the air, using the Step of Void Somersault to chase after him. However, the figure who had just passed him was already gone. The blue waves rippled endlessly, the sea vast and empty.
“Did he dive underwater?” Meng Qi thought for a moment, then dove into the sea, sensing his surroundings as he descended deeper.
As the pressure increased, the sea of primordial energy in the world blended with the water, making normal breathing difficult. The surrounding light faded, the darkness deep and swirling. Meng Qi transformed into a blue-blooded being, feeling at home like a fish in water.
After searching for a long time, Meng Qi found some long-rotted underwater ruins and a mysterious whirlpool-like sea eye leading who-knows-where. The water was dark and murky, the waves surging and violently tearing everything apart.
“Even with the cultivation of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art and the protection of the Kunlun Robe, I might need to achieve the Half-Step Dharma Body to withstand the pressure and dive in, or exchange for a Divine Treasure-level Water-Repelling Pearl,” Meng Qi crouched near the sea eye, extending his mind to assess its strength.
Once his consciousness entered the sea eye, it would be torn apart and submerged, causing intense pain.
“Did the Taoist from earlier enter the sea eye with his boat?” Meng Qi frowned, pondering.
This sea eye was deep and unfathomable, its destination unknown. When he had the chance, he must come to explore it. More paths meant more gains, and more hope!
…
Outside the Snow Mountain Sect’s gate, Master Lu watched as Yunhe Zhenren followed the opponent’s Exo-force expert inside.
After learning the origins of the Myriad Phenomena Sect, the Snow Mountain Sect, as tomb guardians, did not hinder Yunhe and prepared to take him into one of the nine immortal tombs. However, Master Lu could not accompany them.
Master Lu waited patiently, focused. After about half an hour, Yunhe Zhenren flew out, his face slightly grim, his expression heavy, with lingering fear in his eyes, as if he had seen something terrifying, bizarre, and unbelievable.
Seeing that Yunhe had no intention of speaking, Master Lu did not ask.
“There are many oases in the Western Regions, many unclaimed. It would be better for our sect to build our mountain gate here,” Yunhe Zhenren said.
Most importantly, the Great Asura Mengnan had died at the hands of Su Wuming, leaving no Dharma Body in the Western Regions.
Master Lu nodded slightly: “Zhenren may do as he pleases.”
…
At the location of the Golden Tent on the grasslands, everything was in disarray, with collapsed tents everywhere, no longer resembling its former glory.
After Da Man fell and Gulto disappeared, as Ye Yuqi had said, many Grandmasters and Exo-force experts from the Northern Zhou and Western Jin came to the grasslands, hunting powerful cultivators, destroying ancestral spirits of tribes to cut off the grasslands’ future strength and to loot treasures, occupying resource-rich areas.
During this process, the grasslands descended into chaos, with numerous cults and heretical sects exploiting the turmoil to wreak havoc, while many ambitious individuals sought alliances and scoured for rare opportunities.
Inside a ruined tent, a Taoist priest with a horse-like face, clad in feathered robes and wearing a tall headdress, gazed at the Opening Heaven’s Gate warrior who had perished in his sinister ritual. With a hint of smugness, he remarked to his disciple, “Human life is truly fragile—it slips away with the slightest carelessness.”
As his disciple was about to flatter him, suddenly a flash of blade light appeared. His master’s robe shattered, and he clutched his throat, gurgling. His Yuan Shen tried to escape but was trapped within the body.
In merely a breath, the horse-faced Taoist fell backward, lifeless.
“Even the master’s life is so fragile…” the disciple couldn’t help but think.
Then, he saw a young martial artist in black, tight-fitting clothes appear inside the tent. The handsome face, the masculine aura, and the uniquely long blade were all too familiar.
“Kuang Dao Su Meng!” he blurted out, filled with terror.
This was also his last words.
Meng Qi eliminated this cult group and stepped out of the tent, gazing at the ruined and vast Golden Tent while detecting the faintest movements.
After returning to the Central Plains, he came to the grasslands to hunt down Hasuwula, Jiesha Daoist, and others for training. Recently, he heard of strange occurrences near the Golden Tent, with several Exo-force experts disappearing, so he specially came to investigate.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage