An Guoxie’s palms kept changing, blocking Meng Qi’s retreat path. Yet Meng Qi remained calm, stepping back to the left and suddenly lunging forward. His movement technique was strange and unpredictable, catching people off guard.
Meng Qi knew clearly that even though the fourth level of the Golden Bell Cover had gained an extra 30% power due to the enhancement from the “Muscle Changing and Bone Tempering Chapter,” it would still be broken by a single strike from a supreme master who had opened all nine natural orifices. Therefore, either he wouldn’t fight, or he would fight with everything he had to find an opportunity to escape.
An Guoxie had already opened all nine orifices, his senses sharp. He had already judged Meng Qi’s evasive route from the changes in his muscles and skin. With a swift movement of his palms, he blocked Meng Qi’s head-on path, as if Meng Qi’s left face was rushing headlong into his palm.
However, An Guoxie’s palms felt empty, as if striking air!
Realizing something was wrong, he immediately retracted his palms to protect his entire body.
Meng Qi’s forehead throbbed painfully, his head aching. He had forcefully used the Illusory Form Art to create a slight illusion, seizing this rare opportunity, which he would never let slip away.
Thus, he immersed his mind into a tranquil and serene world. With a swing of his precept blade, various disturbances surged forth—memories of his parents’ love rushed in, disrupting his Zen state and shattering his peace.
The blade gleamed, like a candle flickering against a storm of sand.
In a daze, An Guoxie saw a stubborn young boy swinging his blade toward him. He had no choice but to fight back, for his grandmaster had said, the loser must die. Therefore, even if the opponent was his own younger brother, he could not show weakness!
Yet, instead of resistance, his body met only that pair of eyes—liberated and smiling.
“Brother!”
A sharp pain pierced his heart, and his body ached as well, snapping him back to reality. He realized the precept blade had already cut through his skin.
“Cursed bald monk!”
Suddenly, his cervical vertebrae loosened, twisting like a venomous snake, letting the blade slide off his flesh and blood.
Then his right hand, returning to defend, grabbed the blade barehanded. Despite the blade cutting into his bone and blood pouring out, he dared not retaliate!
How could a monk who hadn’t even opened his orifices possess such terrifying blade techniques!
If not for his own Sandstorm Cultivation requiring the refinement of every bone in his body, that single strike might have seriously wounded him!
Knowing he had landed a successful strike, Meng Qi immediately withdrew the blade and turned sideways, unleashing the “Chasing the Wind and Grasping Shadows” technique of the Wind God’s Legs, fleeing swiftly out of the village like a gust of wind!
His speed was so fast it seemed as though he was riding the wind!
Meng Qi knew that a single strike of “Severing Purity” wouldn’t kill a master who had opened all nine orifices. Therefore, from the beginning, he had planned to attack as defense, using a sudden offensive to force An Guoxie into a defensive stance, fully focusing on protecting his vital points, thereby creating an opportunity to escape!
He was counting on the time gap!
An Guoxie was directly blocking the road to the inn, forcing Meng Qi to flee into the vast Haihai Desert.
After practicing the “Muscle Changing and Bone Tempering Chapter,” Meng Qi no longer experienced exhaustion after using “Severing Purity” once. Although he couldn’t launch another strike of similar power, he still had enough strength to escape using the “Chasing the Wind and Grasping Shadows” technique.
Under the illusion created by the Illusory Form Art, An Guoxie was struck on the neck by “Severing Purity,” immediately placing him at a severe disadvantage. He couldn’t even catch his breath, relying solely on the unique properties of his oral orifice to barely withstand the blow. As Meng Qi withdrew his blade, An Guoxie had no choice but to retreat a step, his palms moving as if sealing and closing, seeking a moment to catch his breath and regroup, determined to kill the annoying little bald monk with his palm techniques.
However, the moment he raised his hands to defend, he saw Meng Qi swiftly vanish like a gust of wind, disappearing at the end of the street in a graceful and elegant posture, far beyond his reach.
“I’ll kill you, you bald monk!” An Guoxie gritted his teeth, feeling as though he had been tricked.
Using the wind as cover, Meng Qi ran swiftly out of the village, into the Gobi Desert, where sand and gravel filled the sky, concealing his figure.
Following his experience from several past cycles, Meng Qi constantly changed directions along the way, erasing his trail and creating false clues, never allowing himself any slack.
An Guoxie covered his neck with his left hand, blood dripping down, while the deep wound on his right palm slowly regenerated, as if any trace in the desert would be buried by the wind and sand.
“Could he actually project his spirit outward, creating illusions? Does he possess a special technique for opening the mystical third eye?” An Guoxie, known as the “White-headed Vulture,” did not immediately pursue. Instead, he carefully pondered over the previous battle, for there was something unusual about it.
He had already opened the innate orifices of eyes, ears, and nose, possessing considerable ability to discern illusions. Yet he had never imagined that a young monk who hadn’t even opened his orifices could project his spirit outward, interfering with his senses and creating illusions. Thus, due to his carelessness, he had been deceived, losing the initiative and nearly suffering a serious wound from the opponent’s blade.
This astonished him greatly. If even he, who had opened all nine orifices, had yet to unlock the mystical third eye and bridge the heavens and earth to enter the Semi-Exterior Realm, how could a little monk who hadn’t even approached the threshold of opening his orifices accomplish such a feat?
Could it be a special martial technique? Or a great secret?
Moreover, his blade techniques were terrifying, almost reminiscent of his grandmaster’s “Eighteen Haunting Palms!”
Thinking that this might help him break through his current bottleneck, An Guoxie couldn’t help but feel excited, his gaze toward Meng Qi’s direction growing even more intense.
He sneered to himself, “Running into the Haihai Desert instead of anywhere else—truly ignorant of death!”
He was a lone outlaw who wandered the vast expanse of the Haihai Desert and the surrounding oases, maintaining close ties with Zeluo, one of the chieftains of the Haihai Desert horse bandits. His intimate knowledge of the terrain and climatic patterns in this region far surpassed that of a newcomer like Meng Qi.
Thus, he was brimming with confidence. Even though Meng Qi had already escaped into the vast expanse of the Haihai Desert for some time and had ample opportunity to cover his tracks, An Guoxie remained convinced that he could still locate him by deciphering the distinctive “language” of the Gobi. His plan was to capture Meng Qi, extract his martial arts secrets, and ultimately torture him to death.
His figure swayed as he dashed into the vast Haihai Desert, plunging into the raging sandstorm. Like a serpent of sand slithering through the dunes, he vanished in an instant.
…
The Gobi is different from the desert. Its sand and gravel are coarse, like tiny stones weathered by wind, not as eye-catching as the endless yellow sands. Often, underground streams emerge, forming rocky beaches and small lakes. Moreover, the Gobi appears more desolate. Occasionally, there are puddles, small lakes, a few green spots, antelopes, camels, and jagged rocks. These elements do not soften the harshness but instead accentuate the wildness.
Massive, weathered stones stood tall on the Gobi, their shapes rugged, like stone demons. Meng Qi was hiding in a secret spot between several large stones, meditating and adjusting his breath, making his final preparations.
He exhaled deeply, taking out a small porcelain bottle from his robe and pouring out the wax-sealed pill inside.
With a flick of his thumb, the wax peeled off, releasing a fragrant aroma that made his body and mind feel lighter.
“No wonder it’s called the Tiancong Pill…” Meng Qi silently praised.
He had fled all the way here. Since his cultivation of the ancestral orifice between his eyebrows had reached a certain level, allowing his spirit to project outward slightly, he had some supernatural perception. He vaguely felt that he hadn’t completely shaken off An Guoxie, and had even been nearly caught several times. Fortunately, he changed his route in time.
Maintaining his spirit projection for a long time had greatly exhausted Meng Qi, causing his head to throb and his body to feel drowsy and weak. Unable to endure any longer, he chose this spot to calm his mind and attempt to open his eye orifice. He had originally planned to break through in the next few days. Now, without the luxury of burning incense and fasting, it wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway.
Once he entered the Orifice-Opening Stage, he would no longer be at a major cultivation gap with An Guoxie. Although his strength would still be far inferior, at least he would have some ability to fight back, giving him a better chance to escape. Perhaps he could even exceed An Guoxie’s estimation of his strength, making it impossible for An Guoxie to track him down.
Peeling off the wax, a pale green pill appeared before Meng Qi, its fragrance lingering.
Fearing the pill’s power might dissipate, Meng Qi didn’t delay and immediately swallowed the Tiancong Pill.
The Tiancong Pill dissolved instantly upon entering his mouth, like a stream of clarity rushing into his chest and abdomen.
Closing his eyes, Meng Qi slowly refined the pill’s energy. At first, everything was calm, but gradually, he felt his eyes swelling with pain. Normally, when his eyes were closed, everything should be dark, but now it felt as if someone had lit a fire, filling his vision with flaming clouds.
He realized he had reached a critical moment. Thus, he activated the final chapter of the fourth level of the Golden Bell Cover, his skin turning dark gold, and golden light gathering around his eyes.
In the fiery darkness, nine related orifices lit up like stars, brilliant and pure, illuminating his heart.
The Golden Bell Cover continued to circulate. Between the nine “stars,” a deep darkness emerged, absorbing all the light, as if invisible.
This was the great secret of the human body—the hidden nine innate orifices. Without refining the related orifices, they were impossible to find.
All the golden light around Meng Qi’s eyes flowed inward. The Golden Bell Cover’s true energy followed a unique path upward, merging with the cool energy of the Tiancong Pill, crashing like a tidal wave toward the center of the nine “stars.”
Boom!
Meng Qi’s scalp tingled, a piercing pain from his soul, as if his liver was being torn apart and his eyes were being ripped out. Without the Tiancong Pill’s energy, he would have already fallen into illusions and suffered a mental breakdown.
Boom!
The “light” exceeded the eye orifice’s absorption capacity, radiating outward, illuminating the darkness and extinguishing the fiery clouds.
Boom!
Unable to help himself, Meng Qi opened his eyes. A faint golden glow seemed to shoot out, his face tinged with greenish qi, symbolizing endless vitality.
But these soon dissipated, leaving only a pair of increasingly dark and profound eyes.
The patterns on the rocks carried the melody of nature, revealing the mysteries of creation, presenting themselves before Meng Qi’s eyes.
The sky remained the same blue, the wind still dry, the sand and gravel still dull, everything seemingly unchanged from before. Yet in Meng Qi’s eyes, everything felt entirely different, as if he could see deeper, clearer, and more intricately.
For example, among the sand and gravel, there were coarse sands and pebbles, each with unique surface patterns.
For example, the entire Gobi carried a sense of death and desolation, so profound and heavy.
For example, things blown by the wind seemed to move slower, becoming clearly visible.
For example, previously separated things seemed connected by invisible threads, forming a harmonious and indescribable whole.
“Seeing mountains not as mountains, seeing water not as water”—this was Meng Qi’s feeling after opening his eye orifice.
Originally, he had a certain chance of opening his eye orifice with the Tiancong Pill alone. After six months of practicing the “Muscle Changing and Bone Tempering Chapter,” it had naturally become smooth sailing.
“No wonder the Orifice-Opening Stage can suppress Qi Accumulation. Once the eye orifice is opened, the opponent’s moves appear ‘slow’ in my eyes, clearly visible…” Meng Qi withdrew his gaze, feeling pleased.
This wasn’t that the opponent’s moves had actually slowed down, but rather that Meng Qi’s ability to capture their movements had significantly improved after opening his eye orifice, making it seem as if he were watching “slow motion.” In combat, this was a tremendous advantage.
Moreover, the benefits of opening the eye orifice weren’t limited to this. The eyes are the orifice of the liver; opening the eye orifice meant opening the liver orifice. Thus, his liver cultivation improved, his liver qi surged, endlessly regenerating, greatly enhancing his recovery ability. His true energy and strength also increased significantly. Once he completed the cultivation of all five internal organs, the secret storehouse of vitality and energy would naturally open.
After adjusting for a while and stabilizing his cultivation level, Meng Qi quickly stood up and fled again, using the Wind God’s Legs, appearing quite graceful and unrestrained.
…
Shortly after, An Guoxie appeared among these rocks, coldly staring at the spot where Meng Qi had been meditating.
Though most traces had been wiped away, for someone like An Guoxie—who had long roamed the vast Haihai Desert—faint clues still lingered to be discovered.
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