The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Misty and unclear, the knife energy wasn’t real. It seemed more like a dream of the most painful memory that he kept hidden in the depths of his heart.

He was abandoned as a child, tasked to clean the temple, and often longed for someone to offer him incense… It was as if he had returned to the time when he was learning zen. For a long time, Master Leopard couldn’t shake himself out of his reverie.

The saber closed in on him slowly, like it was about to shatter the tranquility.

Not everyone shared the same heart of zen. Master Leopard stood there in a trance, watching the blade move closer and closer to him.

Something strange happened just then. Though his aura was in perfect harmony, he pushed his palm out while still in his dazed state!

Like a puppet, he pushed both his palms outward under the influence of the other four monks. His palms bore tremendous force and his arms appeared to bulge as he hit the blade from both sides.

“Is that even possible?” With the other four monks catching up, Meng Qi had no choice but to change his moves. He swung his saber, crashing it into Master Leopard’s palms. The collision gave himself the force necessary to toss himself into the air. Like a bird spreading its wings to lift itself from a fence, he freed his saber from the palm attack and leaped over Master Leopard’s head.

The four monks changed their paces and went around Master Leopard to surround Meng Qi once more.

They exchanged blows as though they had returned to the beginning. Meng Qi didn’t manage to break out of the siege. The monks didn’t close in on him, denying him the space to turn and outmaneuver his enemies.

One of them was under the spell of the Ananda Oath-breaking saber, but the remaining four could still manipulate the body. This coordination was too bizarre. It was almost as if they were a single entity… Meng Qi changed his direction without stopping, various thoughts crossing his mind—kungfu knowledge like that of the Solitary Heavenly Knife and the Eight-Nine Mysteries—as he tried to find the lynchpin.

He had been practicing the first scroll of the Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture for quite some time. In his practice of the Immortal Pressing Art and the Solitary Heavenly Knife, he felt as if he had vaguely reached some kind of large door. Beyond the door was a vast new world.

The attack this time was completely different from how he dealt with Green Cultivator and Flame-scorching Devilman. Back then, he had been able to force one of them to retreat through his understanding of their psychology. He had gone all out then, using his Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship. It had helped him create a difference in timing. However, these five monks were like a monster capable of using its head and limbs to attack at the same time! If he couldn’t find their Vital Spirit and damage their physical bodies alone, they could still manipulate their injured parts like a puppet on strings. Injuries wouldn’t worsen their overall coordination at all. It would be challenging for him to create an opportunity to attack!

Where could the key possibly be?

Every battle he had fought in crossed his mind, scene by scene—connected auras, inexplicably similar genuine Qi, Zen bursting out, tranquility all around…

The Exterior involved one’s Inner World triggering the force of nature. There was a direct external manifestation that interfered with reality. It was something that used a certain Dharma and Logos and state of heaven and earth… Half-step Exterior Scenery or Oneness of Heaven and Men warriors had little power to trigger the force of heaven and earth. Thus, they mainly relied on borrowing its Dharma and Logos. They would have to condense their own auras in the same way he had imitated Skythrowing Palm.

Form… Form…

He had once thought of deriving an aura-breaking move from the Nine Strategies Beyond the Swords but he didn’t know where to begin as his cultivation in Sword Principles back then was poor. He only understood Sword Principles after learning the Heaven Blade and cultivated the Heavenly Fairy. Then, with his Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture , he raised the level of his Nine Strategies Beyond the Swords and slowly began to find a direction and line of thought. Though he had still yet to make a breakthrough then, he could vaguely feel the presence of a ‘form’.

Could they be using some kind of secret ‘form’ to achieve their coordination?

Certain exchange and flow were required to integrate oneself with heaven and earth. The inner body would have to serve as paths and the outer its form. Such an exchange had its laws and Dharma Access. That meant flaws for him to manipulate!

Though Meng Qi had reached the realm of entering imperceptibility, the nearby dignified tranquility was severely affecting his senses. He could barely feel the ‘form’, least of all its details. This made it difficult for him to find a flaw.

He struck once again, twisting with his Body Movements as he narrowly avoided yet another siege. His state of mind was like still water, resolute in suppressing the tranquility to sense the details.

He knew only ‘form’ could disturb and repress ‘form’!

He took several steps forward with his silhouette continually changing. He raised his arm and swung his saber in a whipping motion.

The blade trembled furiously as if rubbing against the airflow at high speed, every tremor like a dense bolt of thunder—it contained the vastness of the heavens, the weight of a thunderclap, the swiftness of lightning, the slowness of a thousand changes, and the fierceness of divine punishment!

He didn’t use what little insights he had gained of the Dharmakaya move, the Five Thunder Bombardment of Sky, as it would just invite speculations and greed. It would be game over once others discover his background. The people of Method of Mistress Su weren’t known for being merciful.

However, if he didn’t include the Gist of Trueness and restricted himself to using the moves of the Five Thunder Bombardment of Sky’s and five types of essences to activate his saber, nobody would notice a thing. After all, the Nine Annihilation at Heavenly Nights had been lost since medieval times. No one would know of its exact details. It was a safer choice than using the Violent Thunder Shocking the Sky!

Silver light spilled everywhere with the swing of his saber as if it was executing divine punishment. The blade force converged into a single entity that resembled a knotted thunder dragon, pouncing ferociously on the five monks.

Boom!

The sky seemed to darken as the thunder reverberated throughout the air, ruining the tranquility.

A heavy feeling pressed down on one’s heart, striking fear into it. Divine punishment appeared to be imminent!

The scattered thunder formed streaks of charred soil on the ground. Deep knife marks also appeared on the soil between Meng Qi and his enemies. They rapidly reached for the latter.

The monks didn’t ignore the so-called divine punishment and each of them pushed a palm out. They turned a dark gold at the same time, their glossiness resembling colored glaze. It was as if Buddha was there in the air!

Boom!

The Thunder Light lashed in a violent manner as the divine punishment brought things to an end. With a vast and mighty force, it obliterated everything.

The might of divine punishment was terrifying, significantly weakening the tranquil Zen. The Zen grew continuously, spreading itself in an attempt to counter the divine punishment.

The fluctuations altered the distance under the serious interference. Like a painting in a dream, Meng Qi’s mind suddenly caught hold of the ‘form’ deep within.

The illusory Buddhist chanting never stopped. Specks of light flew out of the mountain temple and the monks’ bodies. They condensed into a formless Buddharupa suspended in mid-air, looking kind and merciful.

Sounds of prayers, praises, chanting, and Buddha traveled to his ears. Tranquility, detachment from reality, turning evil into good, and sacrifice appeared to manifest themselves. In the middle was Buddha, with the five monks acting like its arms and fingers!

So that was it! They had been drawing power from the incense wishes to coordinate themselves!

Meng Qi suddenly gained enlightenment. The five monks had been using the strength of their own desire and the incense to converge into a formless Buddha. Their hearts and souls had entered a ‘pure land’ to be with Buddha. Using it as their Vital Spirit, they became a single entity that exchanged genuine Qi internally. That was why they appeared to be in harmony and had no openings!

They ascended to the pure land with just a chant of ‘Amitabha’!

The thunder dispersed and the lightning vanished. The five monks, acting as one, blocked the Knife Qi from Meng Qi’s saber and dispelled the heavy feeling weighing on them. They didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage at all, allowing the tranquility to spread and the form of the Buddha to disappear once more!

Meng Qi wasn’t upset in the least. He let out a hearty chuckle and attacked with his saber again. But this time, instead of aiming at any of the monks, he slashed at the sky!

There was nothing in the direction of the saber, yet the smile on Hua Yan’s, the divine monk’s, face froze. It was the first time there had been any change in their expressions. Independently, they slammed their palms, threw their fists, pointed their fingers, or clawed at Meng Qi.

The knife energy was faintly discernible as if it came from the bottom of one’s heart, carrying the eight pains of life!

Take a blow from the Ananda Oath-breaking and get reincarnated in a sea of suffering!

No regrets in one’s life? How could there not be a single regret with so many things that happened in life?

Since these monks want to lead mortals to understand themselves and the world around them, then he would pass off as a Buddhist. He would wear their cassock, recite their Sutras, ruin their reputation, and smash their commandments! He would draw all monks into depravity and destroy all their Teachings of Buddhism!

The benevolent-looking illusory Buddha gazed at the demonic knife energy. Tears began gathering in its eyes and the light began to fade.

Beings that were created from the heart were naturally most afraid of being affected by another’s heart!

As the airflow tumbled and the tranquility vanished, the harmonious feeling coming from the five monks began to fluctuate. Genuine Qi could no longer flow as freely in their bodies and their attacks slowed.

Seizing this opportunity, Meng Qi spun around mid-air and dodged the attacks. He feigned eight strokes of his saber and swung it down on Master Dragon with awe-inspiring ferocity.

Master Dragon’s expression turned grave. He tried to grab the sword with his five fingers, but the force that he created sputtered. Half of it was drawing the motion but the other half was trying to undo it. Faced with the tyrannical stroke, he could only wait for help.

They would be able to regain coordination as long as they survived their current obstacle.

His finger force hit Meng Qi’s saber. He felt himself losing all energy out of the blue, as empty and boundless as the heaven as the saber absorbed their genuine Qi.

Meng Qi’s face was glowing a faint gold. He forcibly borrowed the monks’ strength to back off and save himself from their combined attacks. He then turned around and slashed Master Elephant.

Meng Qi’s genuine Qi had reached its peak. He was even using Master Dragon’s strength. The stroke he delivered was as heavy as mountains, causing the airflow around them to collapse and triggering an eruption of thunder. There seemed to be a swirling vortex before the sword, drawing Master Elephant involuntarily toward it.

Master Elephant had nowhere to run. Left without a choice, he countered the attack with a palm move. His hand took on a colorful glow as a pure and immense strength built up in it.

Thump!

His palm avoided the sharp blade and collided with the saber. Master Elephant could only feel the heaviness of the Knife Momentum. It was as if its wielder had the strength of an elephant or a dragon!

Blood sprayed from his mouth as the blade threw him backward. Without the coordination, he was no match for Meng Qi, who was versed in the Eight Nine Mysteries and possessed half the strength of Master Dragon!

Master Elephant slammed into a withered tree, snapping the trunk. The tree collapsed over him, preventing him from getting up anytime soon.

Meng Qi once again borrowed strength from Master Dragon to change his direction and avoid attacks. His saber flashed like a bolt of lightning as he charged at Master Leopard.

His attack was simply too quick for Master Leopard to dodge, forcing him to attempt to grab and hold the blade in place from both sides.

He had barely pinched the saber when he felt no strength in the blade. All it had was speed!

His gaze froze as he saw Meng Qi reach out and flick his five fingers, producing a blast that struck his body and sealed his acupoints.

“Virtual Step and Finger of Green and Darkness of the Seven Masters…” He gradually collapsed as a certain enlightenment hit him.

Meng Qi had already reached the stage of One Understanding Leads to a Hundred Clarities. With the Eight Nine Mysteries as his foundation and preparations for certain skills, he could easily imitate moves of the Enlightening the Apertures level.

In just a short while, two of the five monks were down. There was nothing that the remaining three could do except attack Meng Qi continuously from different angles. However, they kept missing their mark.

Right then, with a voice like thunder in spring, Meng Qi hollered,

“Open!”

His voice rumbled, shaking their ears as thunder would. Without their coordination, the three monks were in a slight trance.

Meng Qi wielded his saber with a momentum so strong that it was impossible for the monks to block. By the time Master Dragon snapped out of his trance, he was being flung across the air from the force of Meng Qi’s strike. He would probably be dead if Meng Qi hadn’t intentionally used the back of the blade!

His imposing manner continued to climb as he fought.

“Die right now!”

He performed eight feints in quick succession, swinging his saber at the monks with such momentum that heaven and earth seemed to contract. He was going solo against two enemies!

The monks pushed their palms out together, attempting to counter Meng Qi’s attack with their own strength.

Thump!

They felt the heaviness of the blade crush their force and cause their arms to tremble. They couldn’t help staggering a few steps back.

Meng Qi’s imposing manner reached its apex. The two monks felt as if he had snatched their souls and stopped them from using their full strength. He had defeated them despite their teamwork!

Meng Qi harmonized his Qi-circulation a little as the two monks backed off. Then, after catching his breath through the use of Immortal Pressing Art, he rushed forward again and struck them to the ground in two strikes.

“How many moves did I make in total?” Meng Qi asked Jiang Zhiwei with a smile as he sheathed his saber.

Jiang Zhiwei returned his smile. “17 moves.”

Meng Qi turned to look at Zhao Qian and the others and laughed. “Your Highness, you told me to remain undefeated within 20 moves? Looks like 17 moves are enough!”