With the Primordial Unity Tree “siphoning” the eerie tree, Meng Qi originally had no psychological burden at all, because he had already tried it before on the fragment of the Heavenly Realm at the Southern Heaven Gate, without causing any significant changes. The appearance of the Dangshan Monarch back then was purely coincidental, as their goals aligned, and they had received hints from the Six Paths. Now, the “Big Brother” clown, the Demon Master, and the Dharma King for Salvation clearly had no understanding of the strange tree. Even if they saw it withering, they would at most feel puzzled and want to investigate further, making it difficult for them to discover Meng Qi in the current environment.
But now, the heavens and earth were shaking, as if this entire immortal realm were vibrating and collapsing. Meng Qi could hardly believe his eyes. Was it caused by the Primordial Unity Tree, or was someone else causing the disturbance elsewhere?
Recalling that the tremors started when the Primordial Unity Tree began to “siphon,” and became more intense as the tree’s siphoning grew increasingly frenzied, Meng Qi was almost certain it was his doing.
“Are the top three levels of the Nine Heavens different from the entrance at the Southern Heaven Gate? Is this thing going to suck away this entire immortal realm?” If not for his extraordinary physical control, Meng Qi would probably be sweating profusely, wiping his brow anxiously. He truly was someone who could never find peace wherever he went, always stirring up trouble, making it hard to stay low-key.
At this moment, a classic line naturally surfaced in his mind: “Do you think just because you hide, no one can find you? It’s useless! A man as striking as you, wherever you go, shines like a firefly in the night, so bright, so extraordinary…”
Boom!
A semi-solid piece of white jade fell, striking Meng Qi’s shoulder, sending a faint golden glow flickering.
Cursed by his previous experience! Meng Qi tried to withdraw the Primordial Unity Tree, but its suction force was so terrifying that even Meng Qi’s strength couldn’t budge it even slightly. He could only clench his teeth and curse.
Recalling his overly hasty reaction before, Meng Qi could only sigh: “Old experiences can kill a person!”
Extensive experience and similar situations indeed help people make correct judgments quickly, so saying someone has rich experience in the martial arts world is definitely not a derogatory remark. However, things are always developing and changing. Relying solely on past experiences without considering the current situation and reality is simply being pedantic!
Regarding the incident with Gao Lan, Meng Qi didn’t think he was wrong because in such a situation, it’s better to be cautious than regretful. Any overreaction is acceptable; if one waits until the situation is clear, there might be no chance to escape. Now, considering the eerie tree’s lush branches and leaves, its developed root system seemingly spreading everywhere, and judging from the Primordial Unity Tree’s reactions to the Peach Garden, Demon-Slaying Platform, and Immortal-Demoting Pool after entering this immortal realm, a major change should have been one of the situations to be prepared for. Yet Meng Qi, blinded by past experiences, had overlooked these signs.
“I must remember this lesson in the future!” Meng Qi was reluctant to abandon the Primordial Unity Tree, so he could only watch helplessly as it continued to absorb frantically. Suddenly, something caught his attention, and he looked sideways.
Through the mist, a peach appeared again, half-exposed, half-hidden, glowing with blood-red light. Its flesh was covered with veins, giving a timid, fearful yet curious and tempting feeling.
“Come here,” Meng Qi whispered.
In a flash, the eerie peach shrank back, hiding itself completely.
Boom!
Wave after wave of chaotic-colored gas, tangible yet intangible, flowed into the Primordial Unity Tree. Cracks began to appear in the solidified white clouds before Meng Qi’s eyes, and the tree root showed clear signs of withering.
Meng Qi raised his left hand, covering his forehead, standing as immovable as a mountain.
Boom!
The Three Lives Hall shook, its foundation beginning to collapse. In the gray-stone hall, Gao Lan and others felt the tremors.
“Yuhua Yang Jian—just who is this ancient expert?” Gao Lan prided himself on his extensive knowledge, but he had never heard of this clearly legendary figure.
Han Guang, wearing a mask, showed no change in expression, his gaze deep as if recalling something.
Boom!
The solidified white clouds began to collapse. Meng Qi finally waited until the tree root withered into mud, and the Primordial Unity Tree, satisfied, ceased its actions, as if it had fallen asleep after a full meal.
Glancing around, Meng Qi noticed that the original knot had stretched into a thin branch. Besides this, two other branches had grown out, each showing signs of sprouting seven green leaves, all exuding a mysterious aura, though none had fully unfurled yet.
Boom!
The sky and earth overturned. Meng Qi rapidly retreated, retracted the Primordial Unity Tree, and dodged the falling debris.
Boom!
Cui Qinghe and others discovered the vortex collapsing, disintegrating inch by inch, leaving no path to ascend to the upper level.
His gaze flickered slightly, and he solemnly said, “Return to the lowest level. There must be enemies who haven’t had time to move their things yet.”
They had misjudged the situation inside. As soon as they entered, they were caught in a formation, wasting precious time. Moreover, unfamiliar with the Nine Heavens, they didn’t understand that the earlier levels held no further gains, yet they still wasted time searching.
…
Terrifying tremors spread in all directions as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth splitting apart. Meng Qi fully activated his Eight-Nine Arcane Art, deftly maneuvering through the narrowest of spaces. Fortunately, the Hall of Future Lives had already collapsed beforehand, with no pavilions or solidified white clouds above, so he remained unharmed.
After a while, everything finally calmed down, with only a little dust floating in the air.
Inside the gray-stone hall, Han Guang and others tried every means but could not overcome the bronze gate and ordinary stone tablet. It was said that only those beyond the Legendary level could enter—and indeed, only such could.
“Go check elsewhere; don’t let latecomers take all the treasures,” said the Dharma King for Salvation, his voice oddly hollow.
Each level of the Nine Heavens was incredibly vast. Although most parts were in ruins, the remaining areas were still immense, featuring divine abodes and caves worthy of exploration.
“Fine, I admit my defeat before Yang Jian. If I attain Legendary status in the future, I’ll challenge him again,” Gao Lan quickly shook off his frustration and spoke generously.
Han Guang said nothing, silently walking to the exit of the gray-stone hall, only to find the passage collapsed, the path ahead dark and filled with wreckage.
“This immortal realm is collapsing. The halls and caves of the immortals are scattered everywhere; there’s much to search for,” he sighed, showing no trace of malice, but rather resembling a learned scholar discussing profound matters.
After speaking, he reminded them again: “The Nine Heavens are renowned as celestial traces, possessing unique characteristics. Time flows differently here compared to the outside world. Staying for a few days is acceptable, but if you remain too long and adapt to this realm, beware of your lifespan.”
He seemed to have transformed into a righteous hero, wholeheartedly reminding his companions.
…
Meng Qi patted his clothes, gripped his blade and sword again, observed his surroundings, and considered his path.
Should he return toward the Hall of Future Lives? No, since the Hall of Present Lives had collapsed, and the “Big Brother” clown and the Demon Master were now on the “same level” as him. If the Demon Master intended to, he would likely go through the Hall of Future Lives to explore elsewhere, both to search for remaining treasures after the collapse of other halls and to track Meng Qi down.
Better to go the opposite way, carefully bypass the ruins of the Hall of Present Lives, enter the Hall of Past Lives, wait half an incense stick’s time, and then calmly find an exit?
Meng Qi quickly made his decision. This would also allow him to glimpse his past lives and uncover clues. Last time, using the Heaven-Shaking and Earth-Shattering Method, he saw nothing valuable, suspecting it had been concealed by some great expert. Now, could the Hall of Past Lives of the Jade Emperor reveal different things?
Since it was destroyed, at most it might retain some lingering traces and fragments… Meng Qi didn’t hold much hope, but it was better than nothing.
Carefully walking around the collapsed ruins of the Hall of Present Lives, Meng Qi moved in near silence and eerie stillness. It took half an incense stick’s time before he reached the location of the Hall of Past Lives.
Before him, the mist remained thick, but there were no longer many indistinct figures, only an unchangeable feeling of abnormal time and space, layered upon one another. Looking ahead, Meng Qi felt that each layer of this abnormal space-time should conceal a past self—his previous life, the one before that, and so on—but now they were all empty, clearly due to the destruction of the Mirror of Past Lives.
Stepping forward, Meng Qi’s ears echoed with ancient, aged, and hollow voices: “The past is not ‘I’; rebirth is like death…”
“The Dao is merciless, yet leaves a glimmer of hope…”
“Heaven creates myriad things, each soul having three; rebirth replaces one…”
These voices sounded like a great expert lamenting something, chanting something, their echoes lingering on the walls, never fading through the ages!
The more Meng Qi listened, the more astonished he became. This meant that after three rebirths, one becomes a completely new “I,” with memories of past lives three cycles ago having little to do with the current self?
But what about A-nan’s method of entering reincarnation? How does one unify the soul, forming a true Yuan Shen, ensuring that the cycle of rebirth does not erase memories? Or is it through special techniques that preserve imprints, keeping one soul forever clear?
Vaguely, Meng Qi felt that his previous idea of awakening past-life memories to find traces of great experts was correct in direction, but there were specific issues he had yet to figure out.
“Just hearing these few sentences makes this trip to the Heavenly Realm worthwhile…” Meng Qi couldn’t help but exclaim, having already destroyed this immortal realm.
Of course, he couldn’t fully trust these ancient residual voices either. Perhaps the great expert who destroyed the Halls of Past and Future Lives had fabricated them? Or maybe the expert who left these voices didn’t fully understand the cycle of reincarnation himself?
As he pondered, golden light flared in the distance, rippling outward, thinning the mist, illuminating the darkness, exposing Meng Qi’s figure under the “light of day.”
“What’s going on?” Alarmed, Meng Qi immediately went on high alert, ready to fight, stepping into the Somersault Step, leaping sideways, while scanning the source of the golden light.
Several miles away, the phantom of a colossal tree pierced through the void. It appeared to consist of two trees, leaning against each other, towering and vast beyond measure. Its mulberry-like leaves blazed in layers of golden yellow, while一轮轮 blazing suns and countless golden crows danced and circled among its branches.
“The Fusang Tree, the Solar Sovereign?” Meng Qi’s heart sank. Under the Fusang Tree, a giant figure in golden robes sat motionless. The power of flesh and blood emanating from it made Meng Qi, even from afar, feel as though his hair was slowly withering and burning.
This was hundreds or even thousands of times more powerful than any Earth Immortal corpse he had encountered before!
If not for the figure’s restrained power and peculiar state, seemingly belonging to the past rather than the present, Meng Qi suspected he would have vaporized already, merely approaching a true star!
Was this the divine body of the Solar Sovereign?
Before the golden-robed giant stood a figure in black robes, facing away from Meng Qi—the mythological “Solar Sovereign” Xi!
Noticing Meng Qi, he suddenly turned, strode forward, surrounded by the Five Virtues, closing the distance with a space-folding step. Raising his right hand, he clenched his fist and struck downward fiercely.
The void trembled, as if about to dissolve into nothingness!
Without a word or inquiry, he intended to eliminate Meng Qi directly!
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