The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The enameled glass was luminous and clear, without a single flaw. It contained a dark liquid that looked thickened like gum or oil. A five-colored wick extended from within, burning silently as it gave out rays of light, completely illuminating the ancient Fusang tree that stood tall and towering, as though it could light up all of the Three Realms and Ten Directions, the Myriad World, and the heavens.

Shaoxuan and Xi’e circled closer, each using powers from their Direct Knowledge as if they had vanished from the earth. All in the attempt to deceive their way past the scholarly Celestial Lamp Ambassador by climbing up the ancient tree from another side to chase after Sha Wujing, fighting to gain the relics left behind by the previous holy maiden of Daluo before him.

Just then, they suddenly heard a crackling and sizzling sound of a raging fire breaking the silence of the place. They saw the Celestial Lamp Ambassador surrounded by twisting flames, bits of ashes that were almost completely burned emerged abruptly, falling scattered from the void.

What did his Wanderer Lamp ignite?

His stance was not waiting leisurely, but rather focused and alert?

What was it that made the Celestial Lamp Ambassador extremely cautious, immediately deploying the Ajati Matriarch’s Wanderer Lamp?

Passed down among the Emperor Descendants, naturally, Shaoxuan and Xi’e were able to recognize the Celestial Lamp Ambassador, as well as the Wanderer Lamp. It was said that he was a famous immortal in the ancient times, who subsequently threw his past away without leaving so much as a name, and devoted himself to the Ajati Matriarch. The Wanderer Lamp was said to have another name at the time, an extremely overbearing one. After all, such Peerless Relics could not possibly emerge out of the blue, even for the newer ones that were successfully refined, there were still many peculiar things happening.

As the thought had just materialized, the long blade in Shaoxuan’s hand that looked like condensed purple electricity illuminated. Its light was splendid and vivid.

Shaoxuan changed his mind, he did not try to stop it. Instead, he followed the subtle senses coming from the Invincible Blade, drawing the blade at an angle. It was automatically activated.

Crackling, blinding electricity filled the void, casting light onto the surroundings as if it were broad daylight. The ancient Fusang tree and the Wanderer Lamp appeared pale in comparison to its light. Shaoxuan had only felt a slight weight against his right hand before he noticed hints of dark gray ashes appearing oddly, scattered in the wind.

An enemy attacked, and was discovered by the Invincible Blade which immediately struck them to ashes with Divine Thunder, just like how the Wanderer Lamp had ignited them? Shaoxuan had a sudden realization, but there were also more doubts in his heart.

With his own realm and strength, he could even be aware of the boundary between fantasy and reality, why was he unable to detect even the slightest trace of the enemy?

Was it because this precinct had replaced the principles of heaven and earth with its own principles? But it was still part of the internal realm, being able to change the principles of the surroundings so easily, even if it were in the Nine Levels of Heaven, slight adjustments could be made, but it would be unlikely that he could not feel anything strange at all…

He thought of Immortal Islands and Sacred Mountains that had decayed on this land, covered with dust. Shaoxuan also thought of how the ancient Fusang tree implicated the Chaos Emperor, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, his heart became increasingly alert. He vaguely had some suspicions, and at the same time, he revealed his form voluntarily, turning his gaze toward the Celestial Lamp Ambassador.

The electricity just now was so bright, moreover, with ashes sprinkling around, how could such a huge commotion be hidden from a mighty person of the Legendary Realm?

Their own plan of lurking while attempting to get close was declared a failure.

Beside him, Xi’e had already wielded The Last Ship, transforming into a humongous ship that seemed like it could cross multiple universes, floating on an illusionary sea of bitterness. Standing tall at the bow of the ship, impregnable by winds or waves, rising and falling with the ripples, as though intending to crash directly into the Celestial Lamp Ambassador, and the ancient Fusang tree.

However, the distance between them and the Celestial Lamp Ambassador had not decreased because of this, but instead, there was an eerie feeling of being ten million stars apart.

The Celestial Lamp Ambassador met Shaoxuan’s gaze, as if in a dream, with an air that was hard to implicate, and smiled.

“So it turns out to be the fellow friends of the Emperor Descendants.”

He was covered with warm and bright light, as though he was far away and out of this world, watching casually.

Shaoxuan and Xi’e exchanged a glance, and understood that what they saw and heard would definitely be affected and limited, either externally or themselves. Therefore, they were unable to see his true face.

The vast nebula which consisted of infinite galaxies orbited slowly in their eyes, as the older mode of cognition faded away, a new mode that could also accommodate previous sensations was constructed from scratch.

With a loud boom, the scenery changed before their eyes, Heaven and Earth, the Immortal Islands and Sacred Mountains could no longer be found. This was now an expansive dark world. The only thing that could be seen or heard was the ancient Fusang tree, its extent had no boundaries, breaking through the limit. Words could not describe how gigantic it was, except that each leaf was about the size of a true universe, endless, and from the trunk of the ancient tree grew numerous branches, with countless leaves, as though all of the heavens and the Myriad World had entirely appeared in front of the two mighty people of the Legendary Realm.

As for Sha Wujing, he was not climbing upward little by little, rather he was flying rapidly up the trunk in a dust-like form!

The Celestial Lamp Ambassador sat cross-legged in front of the tree, the distance between him and Shaoxuan and Xi’e was indeed ten million stars apart.

The Last Ship sailed along, penetrating the darkness in an instant, arriving at the edge of the lights, unable to enter the area illuminated by the Wanderer Lamp.

Upon seeing Shaoxuan and Xi’e who had not responded, the Celestial Lamp Ambassador continued, “Do you two fellow friends really want to get involved in this? You have no relations with the Primitive Emperor, but because of his order, you want to stop Ajati Matriarch’s fulfillment, and make lifelong enemies with me and the Luo Sect?”

Xi’e laughed coldly, “In ancient times and in the Middle Ages, how many times has the Ajati Matriarch harmed the emperor? Do you think we would worry about becoming enemies with the Luo Sect?”

“Besides, you may have other intentions,” Shaoxuan glanced at Sha Wujing, who was in the background, flying rapidly toward the peak of the ancient tree.

The Celestial Lamp Ambassador sneered, “The ancient Fusang tree was born from the blood of the Eastern Emperor Taiyi and God Hao Tian, and deeply hidden. Since I’ve entered, how could I not explore a little?”

At this point, his expression turned serious, revealing a hint of pride.

“Although there are two of you, although you have the Last Ship and the Tyrant’s Invincible Blade, I have the Wanderer Lamp. I would like to see if you can overcome the obstacle, which is me.”

The lights flickered, seeming to swell up all of a sudden.

Shaoxuan and Xi’e both watched attentively, the huge ship flew through layers upon layers of restrictions, the long blade attracted thunder from the Heavens.

At the same time, in their hearts they were quite surprised.

The ancient Fusang tree was not born from only the blood of the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, but also the God Hao Tian’s?

Who did this?

…

A finger as pale as moonlight touched between the eyebrows, and countless shattered pieces of memories flew out. Meng Qi who lost his Divine Sense and spiritual sense seemingly left Vaiduryanirbhasa in a blink of an eye, truly returned to that moment in the beginning, comprehending the experience.

His thoughts became fuzzy, his memories emerged a little. All he saw before him was dirt, darkness, and caves filled with various junk, but it was different from what the Terran race saw, it appeared to be of a different appearance than theirs.

Stumbling, following a sense of self-awareness and sagacity that had not been annihilated, Meng Qi darted toward the outside, his limbs coordinated well, quickly arriving beside a pool of water, he saw a disgusting black rat.

The rat’s perspective was different from the Terran race’s, to Meng Qi, this current body form was like a monster from a nightmare.

Is that me?

Is that what I currently am?

Previously, when he transformed, he had the Divine Sense and spiritual sense, he did not need to rely on the rat’s senses and body. However, now he did not have all these, his memory had drastically deteriorated again, thus, what he saw was truly different.

In a trance, Meng Qi had a feeling that he himself was the rat, as though he had been through a metamorphosis.

The pool of water cracked, his figure dissipated, Meng Qi spread his wings, soaring to the blue sky.

Having the memories of experiencing various transformation, from a hawk to a rock and so on, yet trapped by the absence of Divine Sense and spiritual sense, Meng Qi completely turned into them, using their perception to acknowledge the world and himself, as if he was in a dream. A little unsure about what was a reality, what was an illusion, just like the butterfly’s dream parable.

Is this me?

Is this also me?

Without any strength of martial arts, these transformations and experiences would definitely make the calmest and most sensible person lose their minds completely, yet throughout everything, Meng Qi had a sense of self-awareness, that he had not been obliterated. In the midst of his spiritual transformation between reality and illusion, he held fast to the edge of losing himself.

It this the cultivation base of my heart?

Having lost the strength of martial arts, but the level of spiritual practice still remains?

It came from experiences that have sharpened me, from various forms of comprehension, even without martial arts, I still have my heart!

But to experience the corresponding stripping away again, what is the corresponding comprehension?

While several thoughts were floating around, Meng Qi experienced different transformations. He guarded that sliver of self-awareness with all his might, witnessing different selves with different bodies, senses, and experiences.

Within the midst of similarities and differences, an aura gradually emerged.