The Jade-Cutting Saber fell lightly and slowly, seemingly devoid of power and speed. Yet it was like a shadow over one’s heart—unless one recognized and overcame it oneself, it would forever follow, inescapable and unresistible. One might think it forgotten, but under certain circumstances and at specific moments, it would resurface, evoking past emotions.
The assassin coldly raised his head, gazing blankly upward. Meng Qi’s colossal figure loomed like a mountain, blocking the sunlight. His face lay in shadow, with only his bright eyes glowing with lightning, concealing primordial chaos, revealing traces of compassion, mercy, and stern admonition, resembling an immortal deity.
Saber guiding the palm, I stand alone, questioning the soul!
In this instant, Meng Qi sensed the assassin’s brief hesitation and immediately roared, a thunderclap in clear skies:
“I’ve got you!”
As his voice, which had stunned Shi Xiaoxiu and others, faded, Meng Qi suddenly sensed something amiss. Through the subtle resonance of minds, the assassin’s consciousness remained undisturbed, like a frozen lake—not alive, but like the dead. This brief hesitation came from an inexplicable source!
In a flash, Meng Qi had no time to ponder this anomaly. Since hesitation meant the assassin could not momentarily shift between realities, it became his opportunity!
Enduring the pain of a shattered head and the weakening from no longer controlling four weapons simultaneously, Meng Qi descended from above. His palm emitted a seemingly slow but actually swift stream of fire. The sword tip blazed with brilliant sunlight, unleashing wave upon wave of sword light. Each beam divided endlessly, with no distinction of strength or weakness, reaching everywhere, halting everywhere, transcending the realm of the sun’s universal illumination. It was as if wisdom’s light illuminated the universe, leaving no shadow, no blind spot!
The Dao spreads throughout the cosmos; the Buddha speaks of boundless light!
Without the general outline and unable to directly employ the Seven Swords That Sever Heaven, Meng Qi fused it with the “Wisdom’s Light” of the Solar Tathagata Sword Art, the “Hundred Swords Without Trace” and “Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Origin,” forming his own true “Boundless Light.”
Light poured down, instantly dispersing the shadows cast by clouds and Meng Qi himself, leaving no residue. Above and below, there was no darkness left!
The figure before him shed its shroud of darkness, revealing an assassin clad in night attire.
Behind Meng Qi, a shadow emerged, torn and dissolved by the boundless light. Though it resisted longer than an ordinary shadow, it ultimately could not withstand, quickly disintegrating.
This was the assassin’s contingency plan: if the ambush failed, he would instantly switch between reality and illusion, swapping shadow and body to deliver the most lethal strike!
As the Jade-Cutting Saber descended, Meng Qi’s consciousness extended infinitely, yet still could not sense ripples or fluctuations in the assassin’s heart, cold and still as a millennia-old lake.
A strange, twisted black shadow lingered on his body, seemingly his Dharmic Form, aiding his unpredictable transitions between original and shadow, granting formidable concealment abilities.
The “Void Demon Shadow Form” struggled against the rays of boundless light. The assassin’s body stirred, recovering from the sluggishness, his inner true energy erupting fiercely, uncaring of internal damage, uncaring of shattered organs.
Bang!
The assassin shot backward, but under the illumination of boundless light, no shadows formed, making it difficult for him to shift or vanish.
Faster than thought, Meng Qi flicked the Jade-Cutting Saber, unleashing it. The light dimmed, and the surrounding void constricted, becoming chaotic and indistinct.
As the assassin activated his Dharmic Form, attempting to vanish, the Jade-Cutting Saber pierced through the netherworld at indescribable speed and brilliance, covering the short distance and striking him!
Unlike before, the assassin was somewhat prepared this time, able to vanish after Meng Qi unleashed the Pangu Slash. But now, caught off guard, his figure partially turned translucent when struck by the saber light.
Pfft! Under the combined might of the Pangu Slash and an exceptional treasure, the saber light tore through the assassin’s night attire, piercing his body, revealing Meng Qi’s figure behind him!
A drop of blood trickled from Meng Qi’s forehead, a vertical blood streak swiftly appearing across his body. Silently, his body split into two halves.
Yet he did not die. The two halves spewed blood, flying apart, about to vanish into illusion!
Meng Qi sensed no shattering of the assassin’s spirit and immediately realized something was amiss. At that moment, he activated the Heaven’s Wound, which roared down, condensing various thunders into a pinpoint thunder sphere at the blade’s tip before striking a specific point in the void.
Boom!
A thunderous ocean engulfed the two halves. Endless purple lightning and azure thunder arose and vanished, arose again, dazzling and continuous, instantly consuming them.
Meng Qi deliberately restrained the full might of “Demons Meet Their End,” halting the blast before it reached Shi Xiaoxiu and others, requiring Ling Yue to leap forth and block, preventing collateral damage.
As the thunder gradually dissipated, only a floating transparent short sword remained in midair, with no trace of the blue-tier assassin. Meng Qi, leaning on his long saber, extended his consciousness outward, vigilant and unrelenting.
“Is he dead?” Ling Yue blurted out, seemingly concerned for safety but actually filled with shock, unable to believe that the “Crazy Saber” Su Meng had slain a blue-tier assassin capable of genuinely threatening a Saint in just a few moves!
Shi Xiaoxiu, Shi Xiaodang, and the elders of Shi Family Fortress outside the manor weren’t as emotionally shaken. They felt as if in a dream.
The power and intimidation Meng Qi had displayed were on par with the two Sages they had previously seen, even surpassing them. The blue-tier assassin was a genuine Sage!
At this moment, Meng Qi solemnly replied, “No.”
Neither the Jade-Cutting Saber nor the Heaven’s Wound sensed the assassin’s spirit upon impact, only that icy, undisturbed mind.
Initially, during the soul interrogation, the hesitation seemed to come from afar?
Recalling the battle’s details, Meng Qi vaguely grasped the blue-tier assassin’s secret. From their previous two encounters, he deduced the assassin’s Dharmic Form was unique. Its “Domain” ability did not suppress enemies but split his body and shadow into relatively independent entities, seamlessly switching between them in a state of reality and illusion. Combined with terrifying concealment, the assassin remained undetected by Sages until striking. This made him ideally suited for assassination, living up to his blue-tier status.
Now it appeared his Dharmic Form could hide within others’ shadows and even separate his spirit from body and shadow!
His spirit existed independently, hidden afar, manipulating the body and shadow, making their actions appear as two individuals. Thus, Meng Qi’s soul interrogation did not disturb the heart lake but slightly affected the spirit through their mysterious connection, causing hesitation. If he had used the first two forms of the A-nan Breaking Precepts Saber Art at that moment, even hesitation might not have occurred.
Fortunately, the A-nan Breaking Precepts Saber Art questioned the soul with each strike, heavily affecting the user. With similar techniques, it was not Meng Qi’s first choice.
Now the blue-tier assassin’s body and shadow were destroyed, leaving only his spirit, greatly reducing his power and threat to Meng Qi.
Yet Meng Qi did not relax. Assassins excelled at defeating the strong at the most unexpected moments. Thus, he did not retract the Heaven-Spanning Earth-Encompassing Form, but instead summoned the short sword, murmuring, “Let’s go.”
Less than a hundred miles from Huamei Villa, they would soon arrive.
“He’s not dead? He’s failed three times…” Shi Xiaoxiu murmured in disbelief.
According to the Benevolent School’s rules, three failures meant mission termination.
Meng Qi shook his head, “Believing in the enemy’s rules is like believing you’re destined to achieve the Dharmakaya.”
Rules are merely constraints. Perhaps the blue-tier assassin, enraged by failure, might strike again despite punishment?
Never place hope in the enemy’s rules!
Shi Xiaoxiu and others dared not speak further. Three beams of light tore through the sky, speeding forward.
Soon, they entered the range of Huamei Villa, and Meng Qi finally exhaled in relief, though he remained cautious.
Though he trusted Master Lu’s strength more than his own, there was always the possibility that Master Lu had suddenly gone out!
He could no longer maintain the Heaven-Spanning Earth-Encompassing Form, but the journey onward was peaceful, and they smoothly reached Huamei Villa. Luo Yaokun, currently managing the villa and known as the “Heaven-Inclining Sword,” greeted them and inquired about the events.
Shi Xiaoxiu briefly recounted the key points, omitting their escape.
Luo Yaokun’s expression slightly changed as he immediately said, “I’ll first inform the major sects and clans. No, casting a wide net won’t suffice; relying solely on the grasslands’ forces in Zhou territory is definitely insufficient. This matter is of utmost importance. Allow me to report to my master first.”
He had originally been able to decide independently, but suddenly thinking of something, he hurried toward the back mountains.
Shi Xiaoxiu and others immediately relaxed, feeling that the peaceful and safe environment surpassed all worldly comforts. The previous perilous escape had been painfully harrowing.
Ling Yue gazed deeply at Meng Qi, sighed, and said, “Earlier I said that the blue surpasses the indigo and the younger generation overtakes the older, but I wasn’t entirely sincere. Now I am completely convinced. In just a few years, you’ve reached the Earth List level. Alas, even the Sages behind the Earth List would struggle to slay a blue-tier assassin!”
The Shi siblings bowed gratefully, their admiration and shock no less than Ling Yue’s. People said Su Wuming improved yearly—”Crazy Saber” Su Meng had only been around a few years, yet he had already reached the Earth List level!
And he was about the same age as the Shi siblings—this was simply…
Meng Qi toyed with the “Shadow-Entering Sword” taken from the assassin, about to speak, when suddenly Master Lu’s voice echoed in his ear: “Come to the thatched cottage.”
At the thatched cottage, Luo Yaokun stood aside. Master Lu still sat cross-legged, but before him was a blurred shadow, pierced by countless sword qi, tightly bound.
A familiar aura, a familiar sensation—Meng Qi’s heart stirred: “The blue-tier assassin?”
His spirit?
Master Lu smiled faintly: “With all the commotion you caused, how could this old man not notice?”
Meng Qi suddenly realized—he had forgotten that Master Lu was already a Celestial Immortal. Without effort, his sensing range exceeded ordinary Dharmakaya cultivators countless times!
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