The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The peaks of the Skyscraping Mountain were steep and treacherous, but it didn’t pose much a challenge for Bluecloud Progenitor, Meng Qi, and the others. The only reason they didn’t simply fly over on a green cloud was to prevent discovery.

Suppressing their breaths and the emanation of their energies, they quietly traversed along the mountain path. When they neared the peak, they found corpses of ordinary demons and zombies, still oozing pus, scattered on the ground. Earthy and heavy acrid smell wafted in the surrounding. It was the unmistakable gut-wrenching odor of decomposing flesh.

“It seems that even Corpse Demon has been slain…” Meng Qi told Jiang Zhiwei using the Secret Voice-Sending technique.

Only Corpse Demon of the Seven Great Demons had the ability to turn the living and dead into zombies and manipulate them. They wouldn’t have encountered zombies there if he had left the mountain. He would definitely have brought the zombies along with him.

Bluecloud Progenitor was planning to first kill the Corpse Demon as an overture to their skirmish. For unknown reasons, he vanished and was nowhere to be seen throughout their journey. Corpse Demon probably had reached the top of the Skyscraping Mountain earlier through some secret passage. Little did she expect that he would perish in the hands of Star of Northern Dipper and Matriarch of the West.

Jiang Zhiwei responded, “Yes. We’ll have to forgo Corpse Demon’s crystal.”

She paused before continuing, “If Matriarch of the West is at the Half-step of the Exterior Scenery, then she must be one of the more powerful ones. We mustn’t underestimate her strength.”

Matriarch of the West had to be outstanding if she was indeed an official member of the Myths despite not being of the Exterior level. If she was a Half-Step of the Exterior Scenery expert, her strength would most likely dwarf Wang Siyuan, He Jiu, or any other individual who had attained the Oneness of Heaven and Men. She would be able to converge her Inner and Outer Sceneries at will and had even mastered certain Dharmakaya moves. It would put her leagues ahead of ordinary combatants at the Half-Step of Exterior Scenery like Fire Demon and Duo Ercha. It wouldn’t be too much to see her as a fresh entry of the Exterior. Even the combined forces of Meng Qi and the others might not be able to defeat her.

“Don’t worry. I won’t ignore the enemies under our nose just because our primary target is Star of Northern Dipper,” Meng Qi replied. He promptly relayed Jiang Zhiwei’s reminder to the rest.

With a wordless acknowledgment, Bluecloud Progenitor breathed and two serpent-like green clouds writhed from her nostrils. Rays of luminous light glowed from within the fumes and expanded into an intangible and colorless veil that shrouded them, rendering them undetectable from the outside via their breath and energies.

“It’ll only hold for five minutes…” Her warning rang deeply in their ears like a distant drum. They arrived at the peak of the mountain but made their way to the side of Skyscraping Palace instead of going to its front entrance.

The palace loomed majestically over them, casting a dark and broad shadow around them. The jet-black gargantuan structure reflected not even a speck of light even with the bright sun hanging over it. The stronghold of evil and malevolence glanced down upon them like a huge leviathan, strewing frostiness and darkness, giving off malice and despair.

Meng Qi and the others trailed silently behind Bluecloud Progenitor, stealthily making their way to the side of the palace. They couldn’t project their inner energies lest they risk being discovered by Star of Northern Dipper. And thus their spiritual senses faltered.

Bluecloud Progenitor gently pressed her ear against the wall, closed her eyes, and listened. Unsatisfied, she slowly flew up and peered inside through a ventilation hole. She descended after some time and used the Secret Voice-Sending technique to speak to them. “Star of Northern Dipper is next to the Demonic World channel with Matriarch of the West not too far away from him. She’s currently meditating and harmonizing her Qi-Circulation. I’ll make the first move and engage Star of Northern Dipper. Once you feel the shift in the energies of Heaven and Earth, break this window instantly and ambush her.”

Having never encountered Matriarch of the West, she didn’t have any intelligence to share. She turned to Meng Qi and said instead, “Star of Northern Dipper is adept in the swordplay of slaying. His blade is extremely fast and he’s able to integrate the energies of death and deadliness of his surroundings. You wouldn’t be able to even capture his movements at all. His Sword Qi energies and his Killing Intent will fill the hall and mask his trails. Danger will everywhere inside and his attack on the unwary and careless will be swift and furious. Even the five of you together would serve as nothing more than moments of interruption to him. I’ll unleash whatever fatal and potent techniques I have to force him to concentrate on defending himself. He’ll show himself and you must seize your chance at that moment.”

“Understood,” Meng Qi replied calmly without a hint of fear or worry.

Bluecloud Progenitor said nothing more. She took out a red elixir and consumed it, masking what was left of her Sword Qi. She flew up to the roof and began to wait patiently.

All of a sudden, green clouds encircled and wrapped around her. She turned invisible as she crept inside the palace.

Instantly, a sudden sensation rushed at Meng Qi. He felt the mountains come alive and begin amassing Qi energies of their own. The peaks of the surrounding sierra had taken terrifying aspects and seemed to have grown in height, leaning closer to the Skyscraping Mountain. A sudden cold and murderous swordwill bloomed.

Sensing his oncoming cue, Meng Qi took a deep breath and readied himself. He rushed out of the protective veil and crashed through the window, his breath and energies flowering and his vision spreading. With his trusty saber in hand, he dashed to the position that Bluecloud Progenitor had instructed him to stay in.

Rays of emerald-green light streaked wildly in the main hall. Bluecloud Progenitor was seen unleashing a barrage of heavy punches with ferocity and finesse. Natural energies drawn from the surrounding mountains imbued her fists. The torrential of punches created silhouettes of mountains with the discharge of the energies, striking at a space that appeared empty to him.

Deafening rumbles of the shifting mountains shook the palace and its weight felled on the palace. Walls and floors quivered and trembled around them, threatening to give way. The palace struggled to withstand the colossal force of the earthquake-like shudder of the mountain. The tiles and furnishings of the walls and floors had long been reduced to dust and debris. Chaos spread through the entire palace as rocks and pieces of concrete fell and hammered the floors. The hall would have collapsed if Bluecloud Progenitor had not been restraining her strength and focus her powers on a single point.

However, she wasn’t the reason Meng Qi was paralyzed with shock. It was the unseen dangers that surrounded her. The rushing sensations he could feel just by being present was frighteningly deadly and ominous as if a cold and merciless blade would appear out of thin air to slice his throat. The iciness of the breath of Yama of the Nine Serenities meandered through every corner of the hall, impressing upon them the frailty of life. An undetectable blade awaited behind the cold mist, bidding time to land a fatal strike like a snake that appeared out of nowhere, leaving no victim alive. The blade would be the last image in its victim’s sights.

Was this the true standard of the Exterior level?

Far behind the hall, there stood a dim pillar of light that reached the ceiling. It went all the way into the ground, seemingly with neither an end nor a beginning.

The Demonic World channel… Meng Qi remained focused and turned his attention back to his mission. The Heaven Inflicted Pain rose above his head and like a bolt of lightning from the skies, it struck the woman in brown robes who was watching the battle between Bluecloud Progenitor and Star of Northern Dipper from a short distance away.

Clad in brown ancient robes lined with golden threads, she appeared both elegant and noble.

Jiang Zhiwei rushed forward with her sword, flanking Meng Qi on the right. The Sword of the Sun-Penetrating Rainbow gleamed with pure and strong sword light, radiating strong energies that threatened death to any foe that dared to challenge its bite. She aimed and pierced Matriarch of the West on the center of her forehead. Zhao Heng lunged with both his palms extended. He wished to execute his most fatal stroke to quickly end the engagement and prevent any unexpected occurrences that would allow Matriarch of the West to slip away.

Qi Zhengyan and Ruan Yushu followed behind closely. He hacked their target with his long sword, with the steel glinting with cold light. She hugged her zither tightly and played it, casting her spells and amplifying the strengths and powers of the team’s attacks. The zither rang like the bellows of a war horn, loud and challenging. It raised the spirits of her allies and spurred them onward.

Faced with a five-thronged attack, Matriarch of the West revealed not a trace of expression through her mask. She calmly held out her right hand, graceful and fair. Spreading her fingers, she grasped at the thin air before her.

Meng Qi nearly dropped his blade as it instantly felt several times heavier. It would have clattered to the floor if not for his Eight Nine Mysteries technique. The swing of his blade became sluggish as if time had been reduced to an unbelievably glacial pace. Jiang Zhiwei’s sword light glowed brilliantly as she struck her sword downward in a flash. But her sword struck the floor tiles instead!

Clang! Qi Zhengyan lost grip of his sword.

Of the five, only Zhao Heng and Ruan Yushu remained unaffected.

Matriarch of the West flicked her middle finger with her left thumb as if shooting from her fingers. A jet of pale-white Sword Qi zapped through the air. The pure energy sliced Zhao Heng, piercing through his attack with a horrifying sharpness that surpassed even the sharpest blade. Zhao Heng was forced to evade the counterattack helplessly and fall back!

Matriarch of the West, also known as Monarch of Metal… The revelation struck Meng Qi hard and quick like a thunderbolt from heaven. Her Peerless Godly Kungfu and the uncanny abilities accorded by the powers of her Half-Step Exterior Scenery were likely all related to metal. Trained in harnessing her abilities and power, anything of metallic nature would answer to her beck and call. Being able to control our own weapons and equipment, she had effectively reduced their capabilities by half.

“What fearsome and amazing powers!”

Vast was the difference between the distinguished members with Half-Step from the Exterior Scenery and common practitioners of the same level!

Matriarch of the West took a step forward. His Heaven Inflicted Pain trembled in fear, nearly falling out of Meng Qi’s hand. Jiang Zhiwei could barely keep her livid sword under control and only managed an ordinary stab. Qi Zhengyan’s sword leaped into the air and hacked at Ruan Yushu.

Mimicking cutting blades, Matriarch’s palms slashed through the air from afar with slashes and chops. Blasts of golden blades ripped through the air with extreme sharpness and rancor toward Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei.

She heaved a breath and a golden spear of light sprung forth, charging at Zhao Heng.

Meng Qi sheathed his long saber and formed the Sword Seal with a pointing gesture with his index and middle clasped together thrusting outward. He tried to initiate his Heavenly Fairy technique. To think that a normal stroke from Matriarch of the West could only be deflected by an Exterior-level technique!

Like Lord Buddha who had descended from heaven, a golden brilliance enveloped his strike. Gold rays flecked around as Meng Qi’s fingers struck the incoming Knife Qi.

Crack! The blade of Qi energy shattered under the force of his parry. The light golden protection around Meng Qi’s fingers flickered briefly. He felt a stabbing pain as wisps of residual Knife Qi seeped into his body. It took him great effort to repress the pain.

There was a sudden flash of sword light swinging down from above. It seemed capable of dividing the sea and mountains. Jiang Zhiwei relied on her many years of nurturing her long sword and their inexplicable connection to barely regain control of her sword. However, her Hitting the Sea was more than three times weaker than usual.

Knife Qi slashed across, splashing around. Jiang Zhiwei took a step back, put at a slight disadvantage.

The air flow behind Zhao Heng gathered and transformed into a real dragon. It seemed to merge with the mountains and rivers. He threw his fists and the pavilion shook with the gusts of wind. The intangible dragon pounced forward, squarely striking the golden light.

The golden light broke. Zhao Heng turned a bit pale.

Ruan Yushu flicked with her five fingers, sending Sword Qi flying. The sharp peals knocked down the Dragon Stripe Golden Sword. She spat a mouthful of Blood Essence on her zither. Since it was wood, it remained unaffected.

Matriarch of the West wriggled her ten fingers. It seemed to bring about earth-shattering changes, surrounding the environment with Sword Qi with exposed sharpness. It was as if there would be a thousand blasts of Heptaureate Qi fired out in the next moment, tearing everything apart!

Right then, Ruan Yushu played her zither with both hands.

A long phoenix cry ripped through the air. It pierced through the clouds and tore rocks apart as it shot into the Nine Heavens above and the underworld below. Matriarch of the West trembled and the Sword Qi that she had condensed vanished in a flash. They turned into gusts of bone-chilling wind that blew past.

Qi Zhengyan’s Book of the Chaos didn’t rely on weapons. Red clouds wrapped around his body and his finger turned into his sword as he used the Thousand Miles Freezing. Snow fluttered in the air and the gleam created a sparkling clear layer of ice. It hit the protective Heptaureate surrounding Matriarch of the West’s body and produced a clear layer of frost.

Jiang Zhiwei took the chance to allow her breath to reach its peak. Her sword light shrunk her distance from Matriarch like an otherworldly rainbow. In a flash, it was like heaven and earth had been sliced apart!

Zhao Heng’s body swirled and turned into a hurricane. Those who were entangled in its winds would most certainly be torn into countless pieces. It blew so strongly that it intensified the tremors shaking the temple.

On the other hand, the sound of Heavenly Phoenix Cries affected Star of Northern Dipper slightly. That gave Bluecloud Progenitor a chance to spot his flaw. She turned her fists into palms and pushed them out. The feeling of life and death rose at the same time and everything before her separated into two. One half turned into boundless darkness. Once the silence that contained not the slightest hint of change was contaminated, her opponent would die instantly. The other half was green and brimming with vitality. Life could grow even in the gloomiest and deadliest of places.

Bluecloud Progenitor was a Taoist fairy. Rumor had it that she had been a mountain god before becoming a Taoist, after which she had learned the technique of palm vitality to counter death!

Silence spread as vitality filled the area. The murderous intent in the main hall instantly disappeared. A figure wearing Confucian robes finally appeared in Meng Qi’s line of sight.

He repressed various emotions and his momentum changed.

He imagined being the real Primogenitor Guangcheng and slamming a heavy and tyrannical palm. It had to be a palm capable of shaking the world.

No. Meng Qi changed his mind. Primogenitor Guangcheng wasn’t powerful enough. His imposing manner was still a tad too weak. If he was going to imagine, he had to imagine himself as Heavenly Primogenitor!

He symbolized the great void and the first Celestial Venerable to open the heavens in Taoism. He was second only to the existence of Heavenly Primogenitor itself!

At the beginning of everything, the beginning of heaven and earth—this was the origin!

He raised his right hand and his aura became vast and boundless.

The world turned faint as if it had completely disintegrated with that one palm move. It seemed to return to chaos and nothingness.

The Skythrowing Palm! The pupils of Star of Northern Dipper constricted. Meng Qi instantly drew all of his attention. He saw the expressionless Meng Qi, who bore a simple yet boundless aura. His palms were clean and white like jade and his long fingers bore strength in them. The surface of his palm was dim as if the entire world was contracted within, ready to pour out to shatter heaven and earth!