The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Pedestrians jostled against one another, their shoulders bumping and rubbing together amongst the flow of the masses going about their business. Despite the stream of people rushing about, they parted before the pair that stood motionless in the middle of the crowd. Like a river that flowed around a large rock, the passing crowd seemed to avoid both men that stood in the center of the street.

Meng Qi was wearing a green garment with his long sword hanging from his waist. He brushed past Shangguan Heng, who wore a blank expression as he stood in place. He put on an air of carefreeness as if he was sure that Shangguan Heng wouldn’t strike him in a fit of embarrassed anger. Or perhaps he had complete confidence in his strength and didn’t care if Shangguan Heng tried to ambush him.

Shangguan Heng’s face reddened. He could hardly believe that he was defeated just like that. But the facts couldn’t be denied. He had clearly been defeated.

The brutality in his eyes became more and more apparent, but even more was his sense of confusion. It was as if he was still immersed in the memories of his previous incarnations in Samsara earlier.

His previous incarnations as both male and female, traversing through cycles of life and death, seemed like a mere dream. Where was ‘he’?

The man who spoke in the accent of Lulong was awestruck by what unfolded on the street. He swallowed nervously, unable to speak.

Was this the invincibility of he who reigned as one of the top warriors of the Ranking List of Young Masters?

Was this Killing Blad’ Su Meng?

He had envisioned a fierce battle between two warriors of great strength and finesse, a close and intense battle where both combatants would exchange blows after blows. However, the actual battle hadn’t even had a fraction of a resemblance to what he had envisioned. The duel had ended as swiftly as it had begun. It had been a duel that had demonstrated Killing Blade’s shockingly potent prowess.

The few merchants from the Great Jin Dynasty were also dazed by the shocking outcome of the battle. Killing Blade’s name was known far and wide in their homeland, hence they were confident that Meng Qi’s triumph was inevitable. Still, they hadn’t expected that there would be such an appalling difference in their strengths and skills.

The crowd engulfed the drifting green robe. Shangguan Heng remained rooted in place. He couldn’t detach himself from his trance for a long time.

…

It was the dead of the night, at a dense jungle near the desolate mass grave.

Meng Qi had found Sikong Tu’s buried cache, as per Madam Sikong’s instructions.

Recalling the arrangement of Sitong Ku’s various contraptions, Meng Qi used his spiritual sight to search for the best entry point.

If he wasn’t afraid of damaging the items inside, he would’ve used his Precious Weapons to cleave the tomb open. That would be the easiest way to gain entry into the cache but he couldn’t do so now.

The most vicious trait of Sikong Tu’s traps was the corrosive venom that would be triggered in the event that the initial contraptions lost their effectiveness or became damaged. The venom would destroy the ancient manuscripts and historic items, rendering the robbers’ hard work useless. This was what troubled Meng Qi the most. According to Sikong Tu’s wife, unless it was Sikong Tu himself or masters of contraptions, no one would be able to outmaneuver the traps.

Deep within the forest, a few rogue grave plunderers were spying on Meng Qi.

“Brother, what do you think he’s standing there for?” asked a younger thief in a mask with only the eyes and nostrils visible.

“I don’t think he’s here to pay his respects to the deceased in the middle of the night,” the leader of the thieves replied, speaking as if he was nursing a toothache.

He suspected that the person was also targeting the tomb.

“Brother, didn’t you say the tomb is laid with many hidden traps? That we’re supposed to slowly dig a tunnel inside it to excavate?” The younger thief was surprised. He truly trusted his leader’s judgment.

“Of course. Based on my experience, there are no less than five layers of traps inside the tomb! If I’m mistaken, I’ll spell my name upside down!” the leader said confidently.

“But Brother… Your surname is Tian (a Chinese character which would appear the same written upside-down)…” the younger thief whispered.

“… Either way, he’ll definitely retreat after seeing how difficult it is. He’ll retreat slowly, no, he’ll instantly plan for the future!” said the leader, displaying a sudden aptitude for literacy.

Meng Qi ignored the thieves and made a decision after pondering over it. He extended his right hand and fashioned his fingers into claws. A faint golden glow enveloped his fingers. He suddenly grabbed the tomb ferociously.

The grave crumbled like it was made out of decrepit wood and burst with countless poison needles. They flashed past him in a blurry haze. It was hard for him to avoid them, so all the needles ended up striking his palm.

The rattling steel on steel echoed through the night as downpours of needles battered Meng Qi’s golden protective aura. The poison needles fell feebly onto the ground. With swift movements, he swept off the debris of broken rocks from the grave and whisked away a lurking venomous bug.

“Crack!” A bamboo tube containing jet-black corrosive venom broke. He could see in the dark, how the liquid seeped out of the crevices of the tube and flowed onto a bundle of books wrapped in leather and fur.

With the swiftness of an arrow, Meng Qi’s hand, coated in a golden glow, reached into the burrow and scooped up the bundle.

A few drops of the corrosive liquid spilled on the back of his hand and arm. Little strands of smoke rose as the acid tried to burn through the glowing shield. The acid gradually evaporated into thin air, leaving not a single blemish on his golden coat.

Meng Qi covered his hands with his sleeves. Riffling through the fruits of his endeavor, he nodded with satisfaction before turning to leave.

He had chosen to strike at a corner with the least traps.

“He succeeded just like that?” The young thief watched in disbelief. The stranger had simply struck the grave and reached in to retrieve his prize with ease!

The leader was momentarily dazed before saying with some difficulty, “To… To be able to destroy the grave with such ease, he… he must be a master! We’re no match for him!”

“But what about the traps?” the younger thief asked.

“I…” The leader didn’t know how to answer him.

The younger thief put aside his confusion as curiosity overcame him. “Brother, I think there are no traps after all! Let’s go and take a look! Who knows if we might find some leftover treasure?”

“Perhaps there were traps but the stranger disabled them!” The leader wasn’t willing to eat his words yet as he was a greedy man.

Meng Qi exited the jungle with the books in hand. He suddenly heard shrill screams of agony tearing through the forest. Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

He didn’t turn around. He found a quiet place to sit and began pouring over the books under the moonlight.

“To think it’s in Bomi…” After a long time, Meng Qi frowned and muttered to himself, “To think it’s in Bomi…”

One of the ancient manuscripts described in detail the search for Carefree Valley. First, the owner had determined the general location of the valley. Next, he discovered clues by inspecting the surroundings. However, before he could find the entrance, he succumbed to his illness. Before his death, he left behind information related to the valley so his heirs could continue the search. However, for unknown reasons, the manuscript ended up being part of someone’s burial.

Based on the manuscript, Carefree Valley was an ancient secret. Today, it was believed to be the Immensity Sea of Bomi.

Bomi was the most famous of perilous landscapes in the Immensity Sea. Its terrains were complicated and enveloped in a blood-red mist that dulled the senses. It was incredibly easy to hide there. Countless criminals and outlaws who had angered people of high statuses had hidden there. Many of them were Exterior experts as well. Back then, Xuan Bei and Crying Elder had continued to fight until they reached the outskirts of Bomi. Thus, Meng Qi was quite familiar with the place.

“The black fur that triggered the Zhenwu mission series belonged to a horse bandit who had retrieved it from a mysterious tomb. It makes sense that Carefree Valley is in the Immensity Sea…” Meng Qi nodded, temporarily suppressing the urge to go to Bomi and search for the entrance. Bomi was a dangerous place that even the likes of Ze Luoju wasn’t willing to venture into. Coupled with Crying Elder’s grudge against him and his lack of Exterior strength, it was wiser not to dig his own grave.

The other manuscripts more or less mentioned other tombs and hidden domains. They recorded many tales of the ancient forgotten realms, enlightening Meng Qi quite a bit. But most of them were bits and pieces of stray information that was hardly substantial.

“No wonder Sikong Tu chose to pillage the ancestral tomb of the Han Clan and had these manuscripts buried here…” Meng Qi reached the last page of the manuscript feeling emotional. Fortunately, he hadn’t harbored much hope. It was quite the pleasant surprise just to find clues to finding Carefree Valley!

Putting away the manuscripts, he turned to look at the profound night sky dotted with glimmering stars. It wasn’t clear what he was thinking about.

The following day, Meng Qi left Leli after making sure that Sikong Tu’s wife and child were safely on their journey south.

He hadn’t gone far from the town gates when a lone man stood before him on the highway. It was the bushy-browed Shangguan Heng.

“What is it? Did you find out how to counter my attack?” Meng Qi asked, looking interested.

Shangguan Heng clenched his fist and said through gritted teeth, “No.”

“Then why are you here?” His eyebrows twitched in curiosity.

Could it be that he wanted to get another taste of the visions of Samsara? Had he become addicted?

With a somber gloom over his face, Shangguan Heng replied, “Just because I can’t think of it now, doesn’t mean I can’t think of it in the future. I’m worried I’ll need to look for you when the answer comes so I’ve decided to follow you.”

“What an obstinate stooge…” Meng Qi laughed heartily. “Follow if you must.”

Meng Qi began to walk without concern. Shangguan Heng trailed behind with a sour face, keeping a distance of not more than ten meters behind.

They hadn’t walked long before they got caught in a sudden summer shower. The rain fell heavily, creating threads of water on the ground.

While looking around for shelter, Shangguan Heng planned to use his Protective Upstanding Qi to shield himself from the rain. He then saw Su Meng lifting his face ever so slightly as he walked calmly in the rain. He looked as if he was relishing in the experience.

Su Meng’s clothes were instantly drenched but it didn’t affect his journey in the slightest.

“He retracted his Protective Upstanding Qi? What’s he doing?” Shangguan Heng stared at the green-robed figure, feeling bewildered. He subconsciously quickened his pace, afraid of losing track of Su Meng.

When the rain stopped, they had arrived at the highway that led into the mountains. White smoldering wisps of vapor rose around Su Meng and his clothes quickly began to dry.

The road became muddy after the rain but Meng Qi didn’t stop to rest or use his Lightness Skills. He continued to put one foot ahead of the other, confusing Shangguan Heng even further.

Shangguan Heng continued to follow Meng Qi over the next few days and realized that he was truly a carefree person. He never worried about staying in the wilderness. It was as if he was immersing himself in a wonderful adventure.

“Is he sensing heaven and earth? Trying to break through the Heaven-Man Connection?” Shangguan Heng was deep in thought. But it didn’t seem quite right, including the current scene.

It was currently deep into the night in the deserted wilderness. Killing Blade Su Meng was leaning against a large rock, a stem of grass in his mouth. He was watching the glittering stars above airily, showing no signs of trying to make a breakthrough whatsoever.

Shangguan Heng was a straightforward person and he could no longer contain his curiosity. He took several steps forward and asked with a frown, “What are you doing, exactly?”

Meng Qi chewed on the stem of grass in his mouth while leaning on the rock carefreely. He looked at Shangguan Heng quizzically and answered with a question of his own.

“If you want to try and understand the Heaven-Man Connection, what would you do?”

There was a standard answer to that… Shangguan Heng answered blankly, “Naturally, it’s to perceive nature. Everyone has their own approach, temperament, state of mind, and level of cultivation. Their realizations would be different as well. They’ll then gradually adjust their realization it to their Inner World and slowly come to an answer.”

“If we can first determine the approach most suitable for us, that is, the powers of our Inner World, we can say that it’s the most perfect consummation of the Oneness of Heaven and Man.”

Without a glance at his companion, Meng Qi returned his gaze to the starry skies above. “Yet how do we know if the nature we sense is the actual one? With our cultivation and sight, how can we recognize true nature?” he asked softly.

“In the beginning, you just need to seek your path. You can explore more in the future. If you can truly recognize nature, your power will have reached the likes of the Five Ancient Emperor’s,” Shangguan Heng replied disdainfully.

Meng Qi smiled, without taking his gaze off the mesmerizing stars. “I know. But it’s not a bad thing to think about it in advance.”

His knowledge of the path-seeking method of achieving the Oneness of Heaven and Man used to be similar to Shangguan Heng’s. But in his most recent Samsara Task, he had used Supernatural Power of the Shaking Heaven and Earth to scare Zhuo Hanfeng and Yin Lenghui. He had invoked visions of past reincarnations and impressions of primordial origins. Now that he thought about it, he suddenly felt terrified.

Was the world truly how it was percieved?

Do the stars truly differ from the Grand Sun that burns brightly in the sky?

His path naturally embodied his worldview and included his understanding of nature. If not for that experience, he would’ve first found a direction to continue seeking his path and making alterations until he leapt past the boundaries of the Exterior. But would it be better if he were to first nurture his perception and cognizance of nature beforehand?

Was the Primordial Origin the same as the Primordial Origin that he understood?

“You’d only go mad if you persist in ruminating about nature when your cultivation isn’t high enough. It’ll just scar you and you’ll never be able to make a breakthrough,” Shangguang Heng said coldly.

Meng Qi didn’t answer and pointed at the sky instead. In a low, pensive voice, he said,

“What’s the difference between the stars and the Grand Sun?”

“Could it be that the Grand Sun doesn’t have the power that the stars have?”

…

“Who was the first to preach since the beginning of times?”

“When Heaven and Earth were not yet shaped, who was it that studied its origins?”

The questions passed through Shangguan Heng’s ears one by one. He stared at the young man sitting before him in a daze, finding him a mysterious person with an unpredictable nature. He felt as if they both belonged to different worlds.