Dim and shadowy, starlines shimmered with profound depth and mystery, deterring anyone from approaching or stepping forward.
Since he had already come this far, how could Meng Qi turn back empty-handed? Moreover, the “Entangled Karma” formation likely had already been breached by that refined yet eerie “middle-aged man.”
Besides, Meng Qi had mastered an incomplete version of “Entangled Karma” and a secret technique related to karmic forces. He had studied the “Primordial Gold Scripture” and its explanations of the causes behind all consequences. His primary cultivation art, the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, excelled at evading calamities. Among those at the Outer Scenery stage, when it came to the Dao of karma, he was undoubtedly among the elite. Therefore, even if the “Entangled Karma” formation remained intact, he still had a good chance of passing through. More importantly, he still had a powerful ace up his sleeve—an emergency escape mechanism!
As long as he didn’t get directly drawn into battle, even if trapped by the formation, the Six Dao could instantly pull him back!
Meng Qi still held sword in his right hand and blade in his left, maintaining a steady pace as he ascended the mountain path to the fifth level.
Suddenly, the surroundings grew dark, boundless and deep, making Meng Qi feel as though he stood at the very center of an infinite universe.
He activated the “Entangled Karma” technique and subtly employed the karmic secret art he had learned from Sikong Tu. His gaze suddenly became hollow, bottomless, alluring in its black brilliance, harmonizing with the surrounding environment.
Within Meng Qi’s mind, countless drifting threads of karma appeared within his spiritual perception. Each carried an indescribable aura of danger. It seemed that merely touching them, being ensnared by them, would bring unimaginable consequences.
At that moment, Meng Qi abruptly sensed a strange aura rising from deep within the formation, resonating with his “Entangled Karma” technique. Once again, that mysterious premonition stirred within him.
This was the opportunity he had been seeking!
At this moment, Meng Qi was absolutely certain—the object suppressing the formation’s core was the key to mastering the complete “Entangled Karma” technique!
He exhaled slowly, expelling joy, anxiety, and shock, his expression as cold and calm as ice.
“The core treasure remains. It seems that the previous middle-aged man either failed to pass through the formation or passed through but lacked the strength to destroy it…” Meng Qi speculated inwardly, observing the drifting karmic threads around him with his technique, planning his path forward.
Suddenly, he moved—not soaring high, but like a dragon weaving effortlessly through the threads of karma, seemingly possessing complete knowledge of the area.
Initially, the karmic threads were sparse, spaced far apart, and drifting slowly. Meng Qi felt unusually relaxed, moving as leisurely as a stroll in the garden. However, the closer he approached the formation’s core, the denser and faster the threads became, resembling a dazzling rain of meteors streaking across the sky.
Meng Qi fully activated his “Entangled Karma” technique, his secret art never held back. He continuously shifted forms—sometimes into a mouse—gliding through the threads at just the right moments. If anyone else were present, they would surely perceive him as ghostlike or ethereal!
Near the formation’s core, the karmic threads had become a true drizzle, shimmering and dreamlike. A single misstep could result in being struck by one of these “drops.”
Meng Qi grew increasingly cautious, twisting and turning with utmost agility, fully sensing the danger level of each karmic thread, trying to choose the less terrifying paths. By the end, even if evasion failed, he attempted to endure the impact.
Just as this thought arose, Meng Qi suddenly sensed a strong sense of danger!
A karmic thread ahead, for unknown reasons, had deviated from its course, blocking Meng Qi’s path entirely.
Front, back, left, right, above, and below—all around Meng Qi, karmic threads drifted toward him, leaving no space to escape!
Even transforming into a mouse would struggle to squeeze through such tight gaps!
At this critical moment, Meng Qi resisted the urge to abort and relied solely on his technique and secret art to distinguish the danger level of each karmic thread around him.
“That one is the least dangerous!” Without further thought, Meng Qi transformed into a mouse and deliberately collided with the thread on his left!
The moment karma entangled him, a buzzing sound filled Meng Qi’s mind, and his surroundings changed. The darkness vanished, replaced by a landscape of continuous mountains.
He had transformed into that middle-aged man with a demonic charm, dressed in a green robe, hands behind his back, standing leisurely atop a mountain peak.
Just as he was about to leave, an elderly monk in a yellow robe and red kasaya suddenly appeared, his long white eyebrows hanging beside his face. In his left hand, he held a nine-ringed staff; in his right, a relic glowing with a dark golden luster!
Abbot Kongwen?
Meng Qi remembered this monk’s face well. He was the first Dharma Body cultivator Meng Qi had ever encountered—the Shaolin Arhat Subduing Dragon, Abbot Kongwen!
Abbot Kongwen appeared solemn and dignified. He clenched the relic-holding right hand into a fist and struck directly toward “Meng Qi!”
This punch brimmed with Chan principles, conveying a sense of self-realization and clarity. Its transformations were unpredictable, yet each reflected a calm mind.
The Subduing Dragon Fist subdued external dragons and internal “dragons” alike. It was one of the eighteen inner techniques derived from the “Flower-Seizing Finger,” capable of manifesting the Subduing Dragon Arhat’s golden body or even evolving into the Dharma Body of Mahakasyapa!
It was created by Yuan Kong, the sixth Shaolin patriarch, after mastering the “Flower-Seizing Finger” and attaining the Dharma Body. It provided a convenient path for future monks, although still difficult, it was easier than directly cultivating the “Flower-Seizing Finger.”
Golden Buddhist light radiated, and though the wind did not move, the heart did. This punch seemed to come from within Meng Qi’s own mind. He had neither the ability nor time to evade, only watching helplessly as the fist struck his forehead.
The world spun, Chan chants echoed, and Meng Qi’s Yuan soul nearly dispersed, his consciousness fading.
Yet at the most critical moment, the punch’s follow-through vanished—mysteriously disappeared!
Meng Qi’s vision cleared, and he found the karmic thread had dissipated on its own, leaving an opening on the left.
Seizing the opportunity, Meng Qi darted out of the encirclement, his mind brimming with countless thoughts:
“This karmic thread lacked follow-through power. No wonder it felt less dangerous, within tolerable limits. But why was it lacking…”
“Abbot Kongwen… Abbot Kongwen…” Meng Qi desperately recalled the scene, suddenly struck by a shocking realization:
“Could that middle-aged man with a divine and demonic charm be none other than the ‘Demon Sage’ Han Guang?”
“Was it the ‘Demon Sage’ Han Guang who breached the previous formation?”
The name “Demon Sage” Han Guang was one Meng Qi had heard countless times. He was one of the Shining Twin Stars, rivaling his own senior brother Gao. Han Guang achieved the Dharma Body earlier than Gao, a genius of extraordinary talent!
His methods were formidable, his actions mysterious, yet he eventually fell beneath Abbot Kongwen of Shaolin, disappearing afterward—whether slain or imprisoned remained unknown.
“Did he enter this gate, or the true back mountain gate of Shaolin?”
“Was the battle between Abbot Kongwen and him related to this?”
The area near the formation’s core was perilous, leaving Meng Qi no time to think further. He forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions and narrowly dodged two more “starlines.”
Soon, the core object became vaguely visible—a blurred figure sitting cross-legged, yet devoid of any living presence!
Meng Qi’s heart tensed. Before him, dense karmic threads wove into an almost impenetrable curtain. Unless he could master the “Mosquito Transformation,” there was no way through.
However, drawing from previous experience, Meng Qi remained composed. After a brief observation, he transformed into a mouse and charged toward one of the shimmering starlines.
This was the least dangerous among them, even less so than before!
The mysterious and formless karmic thread entangled him. Instantly, Meng Qi gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of karma. As expected, he found himself transformed again—into someone else.
Before him stood an elderly man in ancient robes and a tall hat.
His silver hair gleamed like snow, and his eyes held the wisdom of countless years. His presence seemed to hide beyond the heavens and earth, almost imperceptible. Meng Qi, closing his eyes, might have thought the space empty.
This sensation…
Meng Qi frowned slightly, feeling a strange familiarity.
Suddenly, realization struck him—wasn’t this the aura of the “Numerical Sage” he had sensed within the Human Emperor’s Ancient Path?
The ancestor of the Wang Clan of Jiangdong—one of the ancient sages!
Shocked, Meng Qi noticed he now wore gray monk’s robes, holding an ordinary precept blade.
A monk?
The Wang Clan’s ancestor suddenly sighed, “Ever since I calculated and verified that event, I knew this day would come.”
“Knowing too much is not always a good thing,” Meng Qi blurted out—not by his own will, but instinctively echoing the gray-robed monk’s reaction.
The Wang Clan’s ancestor smiled bitterly, “Indeed. I have long left instructions for my descendants: do not calculate to the extreme, do not push matters to the brink. Only thus can one endure.”
Faced with impending doom, he displayed unexpected ease, adding with a teasing tone, “I wonder how I should address you…”
Before he could finish, a flash of blade light cut through. Once again, the surroundings turned dim and shadowy, and before “Meng Qi” floated countless intangible karmic threads. Then, with a mysterious motion, the precept blade swept through, removing the threads one by one. The Wang Clan’s ancestor became “utterly free.”
Every consequence has a cause. To live meant carrying the causes of one’s birth, and to wield great martial power meant carrying the causes of inheritance and cultivation. When all these causes were removed by the precept blade, the consequences ceased to exist.
The Wang Clan’s ancestor’s body slowly disintegrated, as if he had never existed in the world.
The precept blade could not hold the karma indefinitely; the threads soon returned. But the ancestor’s fate was sealed—irreversible!
The karmic threads collided violently, unleashing a powerful backlash. The greatest karmic burden fell upon the gray-robed monk—that is, Meng Qi’s current body.
“As a member of the Wang family, cultivating the ‘Mathematical Sutra,’ one must protect the Wang Clan through the most dangerous tribulation after the ‘Great Demon Uprising.'”
As karma settled, Meng Qi exhaled in relief. The most dangerous tribulation after the “Great Demon Uprising” was clearly the “Buddha-Demon Uprising.” The Wang Clan had long since survived it, continuing to thrive.
No wonder this karmic thread had felt the least threatening!
As karma concluded, Meng Qi opened his eyes, half elated, half astonished.
He was delighted because he had experienced the “Entangled Karma” sword technique from start to finish. His Yuan soul felt vibrant, his thoughts agile. The blade in his hand, poised to strike, had revealed many profound mysteries.
He was astonished because the monk he had possessed seemed to be Anan—the same Anan who had been killed by the Demon Sage and later reappeared during the middle ancient era!
The “Numerical Sage” of the Wang Clan, who had calculated and defeated the Overlord, had ultimately fallen by Anan’s hand!
Thoughts raced through his mind, but Meng Qi had already passed through the “Karmic Curtain” and reached the formation’s core.
The figure at the core was shrouded in flames, blurry and indistinct. Yet this fire originated from a strange karmic thread, its color a fiery red, distinct from the rest!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage