The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

When Xue Lengzhao heard what Meng Qi said, she felt an explosion go off in her mind. It destroyed all her previous traumas. Before she knew what was happening, tears had already drenched her entire face.

The evil spirit she could not overcome had died so easily in someone else’s hands. The man who killed him did not even know his name!

From this moment on, Amour Monk no longer existed in this world.

From this moment on, her past would be thoroughly buried.

Now, even if Amour Monk was not dead, he was no longer someone who had a hold on her. He would not rule over her emotions and desires!

Sometimes, one requires a little opportunity to overcome one’s inner demon.

“That was Amour Monk of Merriment Temple…” Jiang Zhiwei glanced at the dead man lying on the ground and gave Meng Qi a brief recap of what had happened.

Fury shot through Meng Qi’s head as he listened. What a lecherous b*stard! Fortunately, he had cleaved the fool in half!

Even so, he regretted giving the lecherous b*stard such an easy death.

When his anger subsided, pride washed over him. He did not expect to kill a master who had crossed the first step of the Celestial Ladder in one strike. Furthermore, his confusion over Amour Monk’s identity had especially demonstrated his ‘personal style’, showing off in front of the Exterior expert of Snow Mountain Sect.

More importantly, he knew that Amour Monk would definitely be a wealthy fellow with an impressive collection of items!

Suddenly, an elegant and apathetic voice drifted to Meng Qi’s ears. “I’ll take 70 percent of the spoils. You can have the rest.”

Meng Qi was dumbfounded and instantly rendered speechless. Even though he had prepared for this, he could not help feeling sad when his prediction aligned exactly with reality. He could already imagine different treasures flying away from him with little wings behind them.

Even so, he knew that this arrangement was fair. Had Immortal Yunhe not diffused the effects of Strength of Merry Buddha’s Original Vows without fanfare and petrify Amour Monk, it was impossible for him to kill a Peerless Master Pro of the Exterior Fourth-fold Heaven realm in one strike. He would, at most, surprise Amour Monk and deal him a serious blow. If he teamed up Jiang Zhiwei after, they might have a 50 percent chance of winning.

A 50 percent winning chance would be entirely different from being able to kill Amour Monk. When he struck Amour Monk with the Big Bang Technique, he could clearly feel the resistance of a secret treasure. Amour Monk’s white robes were silky soft yet impossibly durable; there was a moment when Meng Qi thought he might not be able to tear through the fabric. If not for Immortal Yunhe petrifying Amour Monk, the latter would likely find a chance to dodge the attack under the defense of his secret treasure.

“Immortal, you’re a true fairy indeed, down to your very bones!” Meng Qi sarcastically chided Immortal Yunhe in his mind. He gave Xue Lengzhao a little nod as a way of greeting before descending to the ground to search Amour Monk’s corpse.

Jiang Zhiwei showed good camaraderie in quietly putting away the Plenitude Gate before asking about Xue Lengzhao’s wellbeing with ‘concern’. Then, she noticed the latter had been grappling with her inner demons throughout the ordeal and did not pay attention to where Meng Qi had emerged from. Xue Lengzhao appeared to think that the gate was Jiang Zhiwei’s defensive secret treasure and that it was Amour Monk’s attack that had prompted Meng Qi, who had been hiding nearby, to succeed in his ambush.

Meng Qi’s attack earlier had destroyed the defensive secret treasure as well as the self-protection robes on Amour Monk’s corpse. Fortunately, the prayer beads in his hand and the pale yellow pouch tied around his waist had survived the scuffle.

There were a total of nine beads of a dark hue, each with the shape of a strange-looking eye carved onto every bead.

The prayer beads were lying dormant but the sight of them alone was enough to send Meng Qi into a dizzying and numbing spell. It was as if the nine strange eyes had drawn him into Samsara and plunged him into the hell of bliss.

“Fortunately, Amour Monk had merely attempted to suppress you with his realm and only used his techniques to attack. It would’ve been bad if he used his secret treasure…” Meng Qi was grateful for this.

What he was grateful for was not that Jiang Zhiwei had escaped capture. She was, after all, the direct disciple of the strongest master of Sword Washing Pavilion. He was certain that the sect had bestowed her with a life-saving secret treasure. What he was grateful for, in fact, was that Amour Monk did not manage to use his secret treasure and indirectly benefitted him!

No! Amour Monk had benefitted that stubborn old Immortal Yunhe!

“Nine-eyed Samsara Beads,” Jiang Zhiwei commented after recognizing the prayer beads in Meng Qi’s hand.

“Nine-eyed Samsara Beads?” Meng Qi recalled what it was!

The Buddhism in the West Regions belonged to the Tantric Buddhism, unlike the Zen Buddhism of Shaolin Temple and Pure Land Sect. It was symbolized by Jin Gang Temple, with believers spread all over the West Regions and even penetrating into the grasslands. It had the so-called ‘Secret Buddhism’, with Merriment Temple being one of them. However, Merriment Temple later made a turn into the evil path and deviated from the Teachings of Buddhism, becoming a disgrace to Buddhism.

Nine-eyed Samsara Beads was none other than the secret of Secret Buddhism, with each bead having its unique expertise. Their essence, however, was the same in that they would draw the opponent’s spirit into the illusory Samsara. There, the opponent would feel the anguish of growing old and dying of an illness, as well as the torment of experiencing pain and despair. If one was not mentally strong or had obvious flaws, his mental state would be destroyed after experiencing the ‘Samsara’. It was the same experience that Blade Scar had gone through under Meng Qi’s Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth.

“This is probably at the level of Exterior Fifth-fold Heaven realm. There’ll likely be a great effect if used with Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth…”Meng Qi pondered in silence.

Ever since he entered the Exterior realm, the opponents that he faced were those with great Vital Spirits and unyielding mental energies. Even though Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth was infinite in its wondrousness and was capable of evoking memories of one’s reincarnations in the world, its grade was too low and had reached the limits of the first volume of Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture. It would be hard for him to upgrade it to break through the spiritual defense of his opponents and enter their sea of consciousness unless he used Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship as the medium, One Heart Affecting Another. However, that was not Meng Qi’s wish. Thus, the Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth was reduced into something that was of little value yet he was unwilling to give up on.

The emergence of the Nine-eyed Samsara Beads had given the technique an opportunity to be used once more.

“I want my portion of the spoils to include this.” Meng Qi quietly made up his mind. Then he forcefully ripped open the pouch.

When he opened the pouch, he saw that it was something similar to Space Rings. The space was filled with various items, resembling the ‘courtyard within a pouch’ that Meng Qi owned.

Meng Qi was not surprised. Instead, the corners of his mouth were twitching because most of them were women’s dresses and robes dirtied with all sorts of stains…

“What a pervert!” Meng Qi scolded the bastard under his breath. He put these items aside and took out a string of alternating red and white beads.

The beads had barely grazed his skin when an illusion clouded his mind. It was one of an impossibly beautiful naked woman with snow-like skin. Intoxication was written all over her face, making for an obscene scene.

Xue Lengzhao, who had been quietly looking at Meng Qi, instantly turned red when she saw Meng Qi taking out the beads. She cried in panic, “That’s the Red-white Mani Beads! Those in Merriment Temple use them for their cultivation!”

“Red-white Mani Beads? Ruyi beads made out of the essence of women and men’s delight and lust… No wonder there were illusions of women indulging in desire; they were all women that Amour Monk had ravished…” Meng Qi threw the beads into the pouch, deciding to give them to Immortal Yunhe.

The rest of the items inside the pouch included a Precious Weapon in the shape of a golden wheel, an engraved statue of Merry Buddha, and several exotic minerals and produce. Even though the items were no match for Ze Luoju’s wealth, one of the stones inside was something that he was sorely lacking in, the Abyss Stone!

It was only a tiny black stone yet Meng Qi was close to being incapable of picking it up. The void around him was showing signs of collapsing toward it. This was precisely the necessary ingredient in trying to condense the Chaotic Hole.

Meng Qi calculated the value of their spoils and put away the Nine-eyed Samsara Beads and Abyss Stone. He planned to give Immortal Yunhe the rest, including Red-white Mani Beads, the Precious Weapon in the shape of a golden wheel, and everything inside the pale yellow pouch.

Suddenly, he noticed that there were several sheets of fleece underneath the exotic minerals. He took them out to get a closer look. Wrapped in them was a string of black prayer beads that carried the vicissitudes of life from a long time ago. It was similar to the ones in the hands of Zhou Qiushan and Qian Kai, yet it was not without power. Instead, the beads gave off a vague feeling.

Painted on the sheepskin was a map of the route from Fish Sea to the Bogda Shan mountain range, with every landform marked clearly. Seven locations were marked with red dots on the map and another spot was circled in red.

Jiang Zhiwei had flown down earlier to watch Meng Qi search Amour Monk’s body for items as well as block Xue Lengzhao’s view and senses at the same time.

“These seven spots are the locations of the beams of Buddha Aura,” Meng Qi relayed his voice to Jiang Zhiwei after recognizing the markers.

Jiang Zhiwei’s heart seized. She looked at the spots that were circled in red before staring into the distance. “The spots circled in red is the same place where the beam of Buddha Aura had appeared earlier!”

Violent waves of emotions swept Meng Qi’s mind as he listened. Had Amour Monk determined where there would be abnormalities before the Buddha Aura even emerged and marked them with a red circle?

No wonder he did not join the rest!

But just what was the basis of his judgment? Did he find out the final location of the birth of the Primary Instruction of Buddha’s Palm?

Merriment Temple was, after all, a Buddhist sect even if it had deviated from its true teachings. Their understanding of the teachings of Buddha ought to be superior to Meng Qi’s, who was a monk in name only. While they could determine the final location, he could only look at the sheepskin map in confusion.

While he was engaged in a quiet discussion with Jiang Zhiwei, Xue Lengzhao was staring at the streaks of light flying from a distance. She suddenly spoke, in a quiet voice, “I thank you both for your help. Um, you should leave Fish Sea as soon as possible if you can. If you’re late, things might take a turn for the worse.”

She then flew directly in the direction of the edge of Fish Sea to greet the elders of her sect.

“Things might take a turn for the worse?” Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged confused glances. What did Xue Lengzhao mean? Could Snow Mountain Sect, Jin Gang Temple, and Ashura Temple be up to something major?

“I’ll first relay Xue Lengzhao’s warning to the two seniors and wait for instructions from the leader. I’ll be advancing and retreating with my sect,” Jiang Zhiwei said, frankly expressing her intentions.

This was no longer a matter of fighting and sparring. Being a member of Sword Washing Pavilion, she would definitely not make an early exit without a clear order when facing such an incident.

Meng Qi nodded and then turned to look in the direction of Old Cao’s Restaurant, guessing what had happened to Drunk Xie. He also considered how he should contact the Immortals and what he needed to do…

Drunk Xie was the kind to indulge in wine all day and had shown no signs of trying to vie for Buddha’s Palm. No masters of Fish Sea would logically target him.

There were only two possibilities now. First, he had been exposed as a member of the Immortals and was thus killed. Second, his enemies from the past had discovered him.

Meng Qi played it safe and treated it as if his contact person with the Immortals had been exposed. Thus, he did not plan on leaving any markings in Fish Sea to seek a meeting.

This place was not far from Quicksand Town, where the entrance to Azure Heaven in Immensity Sea was located. He would rather make a dash there!

Once he was clear on the Immortals’ plan, scheme, and manpower delegation, he would know what he needed to do!

Now that he made up his mind, he relayed his voice to Jiang Zhiwei, saying, “Zhiwei, since you plan to wait for orders from your sect and will stay here for the time being, spend these few days taking the Plenitude Gate around. Find a chance to let Immortal Yunhe out for a scroll. There’s something I need to do in Quicksand Town.”

That was what he had agreed upon with Immortal Yunhe and he dared not to break his promise to the latter. He had to go to Azure Heaven so he had no choice but to ask Jiang Zhiwei to do this in his place.

She did not question him and handed him the Reincarnation Talisman. Without the Plenitude Gate, he should at least have a life-saving trick to replace it!

He tossed her the pale yellow pouch and told her to hand it to Immortal Yunhe. Then, he once again disguised himself as ‘Cultivator Grand Sun’ Shen Bao and took Nine-eyed Samsara Beads, Abyss Stone, sheepskin map, and the strange prayer beads with him out of Fish Sea.

…

The sky was only beginning to turn bright when he arrived at Quicksand Town.

Meng Qi had not even landed when he sensed an indescribable piercing cold. The entire town was shrouded in silence with only the sounds of the wind sweeping across the sand. There was not even the faintest signs of life!

He unleashed his mental energy to sense his surroundings. The main door of Immensity Sea Hotel No.1 was wide open. The hotel was completely empty and so quiet that it almost felt sinister.

“Had Jiuniang gotten into trouble too?”