Thanks to the efficient division of loot and the quick recovery of remaining horses after escaping from the Evil Ridge, the rescued girls formed small groups with those who could ride carrying those who couldn’t, a sight that left Meng Qi in admiration.
“We’re heading for the Tahan Oasis. We should arrive before dawn,” Meng Qi maintained a gentle and warm demeanor in front of the girls.
Tahan wasn’t far from the Evil Ridge, roughly a journey of one or two hours. Even though the girls couldn’t match the horse bandits in riding skills, they were determined to endure hardships to reach their destination before sunrise. Delaying until the next day might result in the return of the horse bandits, causing unnecessary trouble or even alerting other leaders to return to the mountains.
“Yes,” the girls, seated on horseback, bowed in unison to Meng Qi and his companions. “Thank you, Master, thank you, Master Gu. We may not be able to repay you in the future, but we will surely erect shrines at home to pray for your safety.”
They knew their own limitations and found it difficult to assist Meng Qi and others, so they expressed their gratitude in the simplest way possible.
Most of the girls in the camp had suffered greatly at the hands of the horse bandits. Even those with exceptional beauty who were favored by the leaders would eventually be discarded like worn-out shoes once they aged and lost their looks, leading to tragic fates unless they bore children, a precedent that had already occurred. Thus, no one was reluctant to leave this place, and all were eager to escape.
Following the trails made by the horse bandits for swift riding, Meng Qi and the others descended from the Evil Ridge toward Tahan in haste.
Looking back, Meng Qi saw flames engulfing the camp, black smoke rising, and buildings collapsing one after another, transforming the previously bustling scene into ruins.
“Just saw his vermilion towers rise… Now see them collapse…” The impermanence of worldly matters stirred Meng Qi’s emotions, prompting him to softly recite this verse from “Lament for Jiangnan.”
No wonder Buddhism often speaks of the transience of all things.
Zhen Hui felt no sentimentality about this “melancholy,” but upon seeing the girls’ excited and sorrowful expressions, she said in admiration to Meng Qi, “Brother, saving a life surpasses building seven levels of pagodas. You’ve already built many pagodas.”
“Pagodas mean nothing to me. I save lives simply out of compassion,” Meng Qi sighed, recognizing this realization as a step forward in his cultivation mindset.
Before Zhen Hui could say more, she suddenly froze, then exclaimed joyfully, “Master, we’re here!”
Meng Qi nearly fell off his horse in shock. What? Master came? Where? Where?
Looking left and right, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in red robes standing before him, and with mixed feelings, he asked, “Master, why are you here?”
What about my escape plan now that Master is watching again?
But it was indeed a coincidence…
Xuan Bei looked at his apprentice, who had grown slightly taller and no longer bore any signs of sadness on his face, and nodded with satisfaction. “You’ve been missing in the Fish Sea for days. I feared you might have mistakenly entered the Tianhai Source, so I came to Tahan to search for an entrance. Unexpectedly, I saw the fire on the Evil Ridge tonight and came to check, only to meet you just in time.”
The existence of the Tianhai Source was no secret to the senior monks of Shaolin, where great demons like the Nine Yuan Demon Lord were sealed beneath the stupa.
“Master, we indeed were trapped in the Tianhai Source for a day, thanks to the protection of Hong Neng, a disciple of the Lanke Temple,” Meng Qi honestly replied.
Now that he was caught by his master, it was best not to think about escaping for now. First, he needed to find a way to conceal his secrets.
“A day in the Tianhai Source equals nearly a month outside, no wonder,” Xuan Bei mused. “The Lanke Temple has always been mysterious; even I don’t know much about their origins. Meeting Hong Neng was indeed a fortunate encounter. In the past, the Abbot attained the Dharma Body partly due to studying scriptures at the Lanke Temple.”
With Xuan Bei present, the entire horse caravan’s pace slowed down, confident even against the likes of Laoren, let alone Zeluo.
As the three masters and apprentices exchanged greetings, Meng Qi kept thinking rapidly, weaving a complete “lie.”
Xuan Bei looked at Gu Changqing, his expression gentle and compassionate. “You must be Gu Changqing, the benefactor who helped my apprentice?”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Holy Monk,” Gu Changqing was slightly excited facing Xuan Bei, a master at the peak of the Outward Manifestation realm. His family hadn’t produced such a master for generations.
Xuan Bei nodded slightly. “I’ve heard of your deeds and was planning to come to the Evil Ridge once I found your whereabouts. The Laoren lineage has committed countless atrocities, and leaving them unchecked would only bring disaster. If not for their location in the Western Regions, I would have already petitioned the Abbot to capture Laoren and imprison him in the back mountains.”
“Thank you for your concern, Holy Monk. I’ve already avenged myself,” Gu Changqing said with gratitude and a hint of stubbornness.
Xuan Bei raised an eyebrow and turned to Meng Qi and Zhen Hui. If his information was accurate, the Evil Ridge was teeming with numerous experts. Yet, his disciple had managed to slay two Nine-Orifice masters and even summoned heavenly lightning in the decisive battle, suggesting profound hidden abilities. Therefore, it was hardly surprising that he could storm the Evil Ridge.
The crucial moment had arrived. Meng Qi took a deep breath, displaying various emotions on his face as he looked at the ground. “Master, I have something to report.”
“Speak,” Xuan Bei knew it might be a secret and walked aside, conjuring a barrier of illusory golden lotus flowers with a wave of his hand.
Stepping into the barrier, Meng Qi spoke “honestly,” “I encountered a rare opportunity.”
“I know,” Xuan Bei wasn’t the least bit surprised. Without an opportunity, that would be strange!
He kindly added, “If it doesn’t involve demons, evil cults, or the secrets of our temple, you don’t have to say anything. Who in the martial world doesn’t have rare opportunities?”
He had become an Outward Manifestation expert of the fourth or fifth level by his early thirties, so how could he lack rare opportunities?
Of course, achieving such extraordinary cultivation at this age required a combination of rare opportunities, character, perseverance, talent, and trials.
Meng Qi thought to himself, then spoke with a “sincere” expression, “That day, I barely escaped. To avoid being caught by An Guoxie, I fled in panic and accidentally entered a tomb. Inside, it was a world of its own, filled with dense demonic energy. A spear formed from the essence of heavenly lightning pierced a demonic peak.”
“A spear formed from the essence of heavenly lightning?” Xuan Bei’s face showed a hint of surprise, as if recalling something. “What did you encounter there?”
This didn’t involve the secret of the Six Realms Reincarnation Master, so Meng Qi spoke openly, “I encountered Gu Xiaosang of the Luo Sect. I was defeated and captured by her. Knowing I knew the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Saber Technique, she forced me to climb the demonic peak and opened a stone door that could trigger endless desires. She said this was where the remains of the Demon Lord lay and that there was a boundary stone from the Celestial Court remaining.”
“So it really was the Demon Lord,” Xuan Bei sighed. “She obtained the Demon Lord’s inheritance, and you obtained the essence of heavenly lightning?”
Upon learning that his disciple could summon heavenly lightning to strike down Yuan Mengzhi and hearing this account, Xuan Bei easily surmised that he had obtained the essence of heavenly lightning. However, the crux of the matter lay elsewhere. If that little demoness from the Luo Sect were to inherit the Demon Lord’s legacy, she might one day rise as another Demon Emperor or Demon Lord, dominating the world. Thus, it was imperative to take precautions early.
Meng Qi shook his head, “We saw the Demon Lord’s shadow, and he only said one sentence to us: ‘You came too late.'”
“Too late…” Xuan Bei repeated thoughtfully. After detailed questioning about the Demon Lord’s appearance and receiving a description, he nodded slightly, “Perhaps it involves the mystery of the Celestial Court’s fall.”
“Yes, Gu Xiaosang discovered clues to the ruins of the Nine Heavens and came here specifically for the boundary stone of the Celestial Court,” Meng Qi unhesitatingly “betrayed” Gu Xiaosang. “In the end, she obtained the boundary stone of the Celestial Court, while the residual essence of heavenly lightning attached itself to me, scaring her away.”
As he spoke, he extended his left hand, exerting his full strength to reveal the purple lightning scars on his body.
“Indeed, it’s the essence of the Nine Heavens’ Thunder,” Xuan Bei exhaled in relief. He had feared his apprentice might fall into the demonic path, but with the essence of heavenly lightning attached, there was no such worry.
Meng Qi continued, “When the essence of heavenly lightning attached itself to me, it refined my physical body, opened my eye and ear orifices, and stimulated the spiritual point between my eyebrows, greatly enhancing my strength.”
This explanation accounted for the visible increase in physical strength and the improvement in combat ability that could be inferred from battle experiences. As for the Red Falling and the Fifth Level of the Golden Bell Seal, as long as he didn’t use them, his master wouldn’t notice.
Xuan Bei nodded, this was indeed what he expected.
“The demonic tomb collapsed, and I was thrown out, falling unconscious. I was captured by An Guoxie, who wanted to investigate the matter further and didn’t kill me on the spot. Instead, he planned to take me back to Haile for interrogation. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know that my strength had greatly increased, having already opened four orifices, and with the mysterious power of the spiritual point between my eyebrows, I seized the opportunity to break free, using the poison darts and the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Saber Technique left by Gu Xiaosang to catch him off guard and kill him. I obtained a good sword manual from him, which I’ve been studying ever since.”
Meng Qi didn’t mention Yuan Mengzhi, as many people had seen him and he had explained the origin of the heavenly lightning essence, so there was no need to say more.
Meng Qi’s account was mostly truthful with a slight embellishment, and the key points were seamlessly connected. Xuan Bei didn’t detect any issues and nodded slightly, saying, “With the essence of heavenly lightning refining your body, it’s equivalent to the Fifth Level of the Golden Bell Shield. Combined with the spiritual power radiating outward to directly attack the primordial spirit, along with the Ananda’s Blade Breaking Precepts technique, no wonder you were able to storm the Evil Ridge.”
He had full confidence in Shaolin martial arts. Although the Fifth Level of the Golden Bell Seal was only at the fourth orifice level when perfected, its effect was equivalent to most martial artists’ sixth orifice level.
After listening to Meng Qi’s account, Xuan Bei felt both relieved and satisfied, “You’ve been through a lot. I was negligent, thinking that Laoren had already been killed by Su Wuming’s sword, nearly letting you fall into an irreversible situation. Fortunately, you endured and even rescued Zhen Hui. Since you’ve already opened four orifices, it’s time to cultivate the Fifth and Sixth Levels of the Golden Bell Seal.”
As he spoke, he handed Meng Qi two thin manuals, clearly having copied them in advance.
Meng Qi felt a pang of sadness in his heart. If he had known this, why would he have bothered to exchange for the Sixth Level of the Golden Bell Seal!
However, he soon became cheerful. In a few days, he could claim that the essence of heavenly lightning had refined his body, allowing the Fifth Level to quickly reach perfection, thus covering up his secrets. Once back at Shaolin, he could enter the Scripture Pavilion. Although he couldn’t read and memorize all the martial arts in the “External Fifty-Eight” and other collections at once, he could borrow one book at a time for study. That would be an endless source of merit!
Moreover, having already opened four orifices, his current strength was no less than that of the eldest disciple in his time. He could now attempt to pass through the Copper Man Alley and descend the mountain on his own. Why should he burden his master any further?
With a bright future ahead, Meng Qi smiled somewhat foolishly.
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