“Wow!” This kind of exclamation simultaneously appeared in both Meng Qi’s and “Master Xi Yue’s” minds. The latter hadn’t expected the young Taoist to be so stingy and vengeful to such an extent, accidentally hitting the mark and blocking the escape route. The former instinctively used his “Wisdom Eyes” to take a look.
“Why does this aura feel so familiar?
The True Martial’s evil thought isn’t dead yet!
Why did the Six Paths say it had already been eliminated and the mission completed? Did the evil thought deceive both the True Martial consciousness within the Xuan Shui Exorcism Banner and the Six Paths simultaneously?
Without hesitation, Meng Qi drew his long saber. The evil thought could no longer afford to hide, while Xi Yue’s face flushed with green qi, his eyes displaying majestic depth. One revealed a Black Tortoise, the other a Teng Snake.
In a narrow encounter, strike first!
Dark watery energy condensed into a sword as the True Martial’s evil thought directly used “Severing the Path to Reveal the Self”!
The sword light was pure, instantly slashing toward Meng Qi, but compared to before, the sense of the world, body, true energy, and dharma body becoming illusory and “disappearing” was much weaker.
Was it because Xi Yue was merely at the first level of the Heavens, and the residual strength of the True Martial’s evil thought had fallen below the first tier of the Celestial Ladder?
Meng Qi’s heart leapt with joy. Although his insight and experience were inferior, he could now suppress the opponent in terms of power!
For someone else, even an unparalleled expert who had crossed the first tier of the Celestial Ladder would find this slash extremely dangerous, but Meng Qi was different. Among his learned techniques, many were only slightly inferior to the “Intercepting the Heavens,” while others, like the “Buddha’s Palm,” were on par with it!
As the saying goes, time flies. Meng Qi’s “Yuan Shen” (Primordial Spirit) grew another pair of arms. One was still recovering, hanging down, while the other clenched into a fist and struck out. Golden specks shone with sanctity, purple qi brimming with blessings, and black-and-white auroras entwined, striking with a pure, untainted aura.
Possessing all three virtues, it could strike both the tangible and intangible—an extremely rare technique directly usable by the Primordial Spirit!
At the same time, the Heaven’s Scar leapt high, clouds gathered, azure lightning condensed, and heavenly punishment descended, cooperating with the Yuan Shiji lotus to resist the Intercepting Heaven’s ability to fix and suppress the Yuan Shen.
Bang!
Meng Qi’s Three Treasures Ruyi Fist barely grazed the dark watery sword.
Golden, purple, black, and white lights burst and scattered, shattering the sword into fragments.
Boom!
The Heaven’s Scar descended, five thick bolts of azure lightning consecutively striking, enhancing the saber’s power as it slashed down upon Master Xi Yue’s head.
Boom!
Protective water light and moon essence were shattered by the lightning, and the long saber cleaved Master Xi Yue in two. Dark mist vaguely dispersed from within, accompanied by a scream.
Meng Qi’s empty left hand seized the moment, snatching the storage bag from “Master Xi Yue” before the lightning engulfed him completely.
Boom!
The azure lightning exploded, reducing Master Xi Yue to charred fragments, which turned to ashes.
“What an overwhelming sense of power suppression!” Meng Qi shook the arm he had used to execute the Three Treasures Ruyi Fist. Even under such suppression, and despite the formidable technique, after blocking the “Severing the Path to Reveal the Self,” his arm had suffered severe damage, and his Primordial Spirit sustained minor injuries—demonstrating just how mighty the Seven Swords of the Heaven-Intercepting Style truly were!
“But the True Martial’s evil thought’s insight, experience, and knowledge are indeed formidable…” Meng Qi couldn’t help but think.
Suddenly, his pupils constricted, and his gaze froze:
With the True Martial’s evil thought’s insight and knowledge, wouldn’t it recognize the current power disparity between them? Wouldn’t it understand the consequences of fighting like this?
Bad! It was trying to escape again!
Suddenly realizing this, Meng Qi recalled how the True Martial’s evil thought had vanished stealthily within the mausoleum!
His long saber in hand, he suddenly slashed upward diagonally, gathering the utmost yang and mighty thunder into a single strike.
Boom!
It seemed as if a great sun had descended upon the spot, dazzlingly radiant, yet composed entirely of countless bolts of extremely yang thunder. The aura swept outward, cleansing the surroundings.
Supreme Yang purging filth!
The yang essence spread throughout the heavens and earth, enveloping the area. Suddenly, from a corner of the void, a black shadow darted out, its body disintegrating into wisps, leaving only a deep, unfathomable black spot—the True Martial’s evil thought!
How could it have collided directly!
Hadn’t it calculated this beforehand? Or had someone obscured the heavenly mechanisms?
Was it him? Had he already reached that realm?
Screams echoed everywhere as Meng Qi seized again, capturing the “black dot” in his hand. Layer upon layer of bindings fell, sealing it within his palm.
The True Martial’s evil thought could do nothing but accept its fate, its voice still carrying residual dignity: “The consciousness within the Xuan Shui Exorcism Banner has vanished. Your agreement with Him is complete, and there is no longer any karmic link. As long as you let me go, even though my current strength cannot form true intent for inheritance, I can still compile my experiences, insights, and specific techniques regarding the Three Sword Styles of Intercepting Heaven into a manual for you, including various understandings of the general principles! These are all my achievements over countless eons, one of the pillars of my ‘Black Emperor’ title!”
As it spoke, seemingly fearing Meng Qi’s disbelief, it first transmitted its thoughts, rolling into words and images, demonstrating some insights into the general principles of the Seven Sword Styles of Intercepting Heaven as a “preview edition.”
Meng Qi couldn’t comprehend them immediately, his eyes focused as his mind rapidly memorized them. Just from this, he felt his own sword techniques had improved!
Even this much was worth the effort! Delighted, Meng Qi deliberately asked, “What else? What about the inherited techniques of the True Martial Emperor himself and the specific details of ancient secrets?”
“Fine!” the True Martial’s malevolent thought responded with determination, “Once we establish a contract, I shall impart to you the inherited techniques and all the ancient secrets I possess—including the Yuan Yang Ruler concealed within the Nine Yin Realms, as well as the information you’ve been yearning to learn about Him…”
Before the words finished, Meng Qi’s expression slightly changed, blurting out, “Stop!”
As the sound arose, black flames suddenly erupted from Meng Qi’s hand, swallowing both the seal and the True Martial’s evil thought.
“You!” The True Martial’s evil thought’s voice, filled with shock and anger, flared within the flames but quickly faded.
The deep, dark flames vanished, and Meng Qi’s palm was as white and flawless as jade, with nothing extra remaining.
Staring at his empty palm, Meng Qi was dazed, unsure whether to cry or laugh. It was all due to his greed and loose tongue, wanting to obtain ancient secrets. He never expected the True Martial’s evil thought to be so unclear about the Six Paths Reincarnation Master’s restrictions.
Deceased: True Martial’s evil thought.
Cause of death: Talking too much.
“Forget it, it’s all my own fault for being too talkative.” He calmed his emotions, thinking about the partial insights into the Intercepting Heaven’s general principles he had already obtained, easing his disappointment. Even if the True Martial’s evil thought hadn’t been talkative, he wouldn’t have made a pact with it and let it go. At best, he might have tried to trick it into revealing more techniques and secrets, but he would still have eliminated it.
After all, the True Martial Emperor might still be alive, and he had already made a promise to eliminate the True Martial’s evil thought.
To act otherwise would be tantamount to deception.
One must never deceive the mighty!
Seeing that Huangfu Tao and others had noticed the “solar eruption” here and were rushing over, Meng Qi thought for a moment and decided to return. He should hurry and retrieve the fifth move of Intercepting Heaven before any mishaps occurred. Who knew what tricks the Six Paths might pull next!
After what had just happened, Meng Qi’s impression of “the Six Paths being nearly omnipotent” and “being a dishonest merchant but still quite trustworthy” had been shaken. It had clearly not eliminated the True Martial’s evil thought, yet claimed it had!
Was it because the True Martial’s evil thought used such an extraordinary method that it deceived both the True Martial consciousness within the Xuan Shui Exorcism Banner and the nearly omnipotent Six Paths? Or did the Six Paths have ulterior motives?
If it was the latter, Meng Qi merely thinking about it sent chills down his spine. If the Master of the Six Paths Reincarnation had its own agenda, what purpose did their reincarnations serve for It? And when would that purpose come into play?
Holding Master Xi Yue’s storage bag and recalling the insights into the general principles of Intercepting Heaven from the True Martial Emperor, Meng Qi was enveloped in a hazy green light and vanished into midair.
When Huangfu Tao and the Star-Plucking Immortal arrived, the ten-thousand-mile sky was clear, without clouds, birds, or people.
Qingyuan Taoist never appeared in the martial world again.
…
Light flashed, and Meng Qi reappeared before the central pillar of radiance. Before he could exchange Master Xi Yue’s items for karma points, the voice of the Lord Lingbao resonated in his ears: “Just emerging from there, I noticed you were seeking this old Daoist. Come here—there is something to report.”
Any results? Did Tianzun “interrogate” Daqinggen and obtain anything? Meng Qi’s heart tightened, fearing that Daqinggen might also disappear like the True Martial’s evil thought. He hastily flew toward the Biyou Palace.
Inside the secret chamber, Lord Lingbao was wearing a mask, seated behind a table, while the withered medicinal essence, covered in red-leafed branches, lay listlessly beside him.
“This old Daoist scoured that world, then searched several unremarkable ruins, finally prying information from it,” sighed Lord Lingbao.
Meng Qi nodded slightly, briefly mentioning the True Martial’s evil thought, not going into detail yet. He would decide based on the danger level of where the fifth move was hidden. He merely said he had encountered an ancient expert’s evil thought and almost discovered the Six Paths’ identity, but the opponent had been erased by the Six Paths. He asked the Tianzun to be cautious.
“Alright, this old Daoist will be cautious,” Lord Lingbao replied solemnly, “It said the sensed aura belonged to a guest who had once visited the Yu Xu Palace. However, at that time, its spiritual intelligence was not fully awakened, so the aura and identity didn’t match up. It only felt familiar but couldn’t recognize who it was.”
Someone who had once visited the Yu Xu Palace? Which ancient expert from antiquity, or someone on par with the Primordial Lord? Meng Qi pondered, then changed his inner scenery, simulating the aura of the ancient Thunder God based on the thunder scars and blood he had obtained before—fierce and domineering.
He looked at Daqinggen: “Was it Him?”
Daquegen shook its branches and leaves: “Master, it’s not Him.”
Not the ancient Thunder God… Meng Qi changed again, simulating the aura of A-nan based on the true inheritance: “Was it Him?”
“No.” Daqinggen immediately replied.
Meng Qi simulated various auras based on the superficial operation routes of various techniques from the Immortal Traces (Xian Ji), but Daqinggen shook its head every time.
Gritting his teeth, Meng Qi directly activated the “Yuan Shiji Zhang (Primordial Beginning Chapter),” spreading a vast, ancient, and unchanging aura.
“How could it be the Patriarch Master!” Daqinggen’s voice rose, then its aura dropped, looking at Meng Qi with a “Master, please don’t hit me” expression.
Lord Lingbao pondered: “What was unique about the aura you sensed?”
Daquegen hesitated: “Not lofty and ethereal, but genuine and real, indescribable.”
Both Meng Qi and Lord Lingbao fell silent, temporarily unable to simulate more auras.
After a quiet moment, Meng Qi changed the topic: “You were born in Kunlun, entered Yu Xu, and have much knowledge about the ancient and primordial experts, right?”
“Just heard from the Immortals,” Daqinggen’s tone carried some pride.
“Then I’ll ask you, if we don’t consider the path of posthumous existence, among these experts, who is most likely to still be alive today?”
Daquegen thought: “The Three Pure Ones, Amitabha Buddha—they four are the most likely, but absolutely not their auras. This servant can recognize that much!”
He paused, proudly adding: “The Patriarch Master is the origin of all realms and the root of all consequences. Were it not for the immense karmic burdens He bears, He could have attained transcendence like the Dao Venerable long ago. As for the other two, this humble servant knows little about them. However, Amitabha Buddha has achieved the perfection of his Sambhogakāya Pure Land, with a lifespan nearly boundless. Even if one world perishes, He remains imperishable, transforming into part of another world elsewhere.”
So… Meng Qi and Lord Lingbao exchanged glances, then suddenly asked, “Why would the Lord of the Mysterious Path specifically relocate all of you from Kunlun Mountain into the seal?”
Daquegen was immediately left speechless.
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