The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Kaboom!

The disc-like item under the great tower radiated blue rays of light. The light then condensed into a single beam that flowed into the tower. Under the gush of airflow underneath the tower, its body was torn apart. It was crushed so badly that no trace of its destruction was visible.

Kaboom!

Shrouded in dazzling blue radiance, the great tower turned illusory. It became “longer” as if it was about to burst out of the void and shoot straight into the Green and Darkness.

Such a change was beyond He Qi’s expectations. He never thought that this Ancestral God shrine-like great tower would be a treasure capable of going in and out of the Green and Darkness. Moreover, it could even carry masters who were not even in the Dharmakaya realm. The old Master of the Ruan clan and the others shared his feelings. The only one unsurprised was the Master of the Wang family—he still looked like someone who had yet to recover from a grave illness.

“If roots aren’t removed during weeding, endless regrets follow!” Closing his eyes, He Qi instantly turned into the Formless Sword Qi and wavered indeterminately between formed and formless. His transformation was so flawless that others could not lock onto his breath.

The Blue-blooded People were an exceptionally gifted species. If they spared no cost in avenging their own, they could very well kill the elders and disciples here and deliver a devastating blow to Eastsea Sword Village.

Sword Qi disappeared entirely before abruptly reemerging within the dazzling blue radiance. It was as if it was originally an integral whole with the radiance. It spiraled and fiddled around like a swimming dragon. It emitted continuous crisp sounds as if it was about to break the blue light apart.

It was at this moment that the vast, unreasoning breath that seemed to fill the world transformed into the blue rays of light. In an instant, it condensed into water. It fell off in layers until the last layer was nearly covering the great tower.

Thereupon, the Sword Qi was forcefully isolated from the radiance.

Despite the numerous waves washing upon Old Master Ruan, his hands did not have the slightest hesitation. The statue of a human wearing an unadorned tall hat and an indistinct face materialized behind him. It existed in the thin line between the Dharma and Logos of Heaven and Earth. It used the old Master’s Path as its hand as it produced wonderful tunes that stirred the Great Path.

Clang!

The zither tune changed sharply into the sounds of Clock Quaking the Three Dimensions. The melodious and elegant sound soared in spirals continuously. The great tower shrouded in the blue radiance seemed to be immobilized, the radiance like a transparent layer of water. One could distinctly see each and every droplet that formed it. The patterns and unevenness of the tower could be subtly seen.

Suddenly, the remnants of the breath came pouring into the engraved image of God above the great tower. The metal protruded as the rays of light radiated. With its foot on the black dragon and water serpents hanging from its ears, the imposing God took on a three-dimensional form. In its hand was an azure octagonal sword that it waved forward in a slick movement.

Thud!

The mace shattered the momentary immobilization, causing He Qi’s indefinitely hovering Sword Qi to vanish as well. He regained tangible form.

Kaboom!

Everything unfolded like a lightning strike. Before Huang Taichong and another Elder from the Ruan clan could react, they saw the suspension of the great tower shatter. The tower began to spin, preparing to enter the void and fly up to the Green and Darkness.

The Book of Luo above the Master of the Wang family began spinning as well, and the golden divinatory diagrams became visible all around. It continued to unfold and change before finally linking to form a single divinatory diagram. It turned into an inescapable net and then flew toward the space above the great tower.

The three-dimensional statue of God once again waved its mace, striking the inescapable net. The crisp sounds of ripping resounded. He Qi’s Sword Qi once again came around in a sweeping motion to deliver a sharp blow to the great tower.

Clang!

The great tower split open. A crack appeared in its body. It quivered as it conducted heat. The many objects inside the tower were instantly crushed to smithereens. One could faintly see the High Priest spewing blood.

However, the great tower was only inches away from making its escape. The upper half of the illusory tower had merged with the void. He Qi seemed to be finding it difficult to stop the tower.

“The High Priest won’t be able to live much longer…” He Qi could see that his Sword Qi had injured the High Priest’s foundation. He felt his heart relaxing.

He had no idea where the “great tower” would fly to or where the Blue-blooded People originated from. However, they had at least expelled future troubles for the time being.

When his Sword Qi rose once again, the image of the God was instantly shattered. The extending breath and He Qi were about to be thrown with the force of the recoil. For a moment, it isolated the old Masters of the Ruan clan and the Wang family and obstructed the tower. The great tower merely halted for a brief moment. It was so close to breaking out of its binds and escape far into the Green and Darkness.

Suddenly, in that instant of stagnation, a silhouette with a hovering zither emerged in front of the crack of the tower. It charged through the fine blue radiance and flew straight into the crack.

It was Ruan Chengde, Third Childe of the Ruan clan!

Kaboom!

The blue radiance stretched its length to its limit, allowing the great tower to integrate entirely into the void. It flew outside of the astral winds of the highest of heavens, carrying with it the High Priest as well as Third Childe.

“Third Childe!” Old Master Ruan cried.

The Master of the Wang family quietly sighed to himself but his expression remained unchanged.

He Qi frowned. Why would Third Childe fight this desperately when the High Priest would not live more than four hours? He even pursued the latter at the risk of his own life. He seemed unconcerned about the enemies that may be waiting at the destination of the great tower.

“What exactly is the Ruan clan planning?”

It would not have been difficult for He Qi to enter the tower the way Ruan Chengde did. However, the High Priest was at death’s door and the destination of the tower was unknown. Moreover, this involved the mysterious Ancestral God. It was not worth the risk.

Inside the great tower, the elegant, fragile-looking Ruan Chengde and the High Priest confronted each other in a small room.

Ruan Chengde’s fingers danced frantically across the strings, occasionally strumming the tune of Heavenly Phoenix Cries and occasionally making a high-pitched, far-reaching sound. These were tunes that specifically targeted the Blue-blooded People. They made the temperature inside the small room rise until it was burning hot, so much so that even the surface layer was beginning to melt.

“Even if you sacrifice your life, you wouldn’t be able to compensate for the mistakes you’ve made in the past!” Ruan Chengde’s eyes were steeled with determination. He did not show even the slightest fear. It was as if death could no longer deter him.

The cultivation of the High Priest was considerably higher than that of Ruan Chengde. The latter was no match for the High Priest even when he was severely injured. The High Priest was manipulating the water to rejuvenate his vitality, unleashing his mystic skills. The palm print flew alongside the surging waves. Together, they firmly suppressed Ruan Chengde.

However, Ruan Chengde was a grandmaster, and his attacks were not something that the High Priest could afford to ignore. The latter’s body turned increasingly transparent while the underlying blue blood boiled. A crack appeared on the arteries and veins inside that formed a mysterious seal script.

He did not want to die, not when he could return to the statue of the Ancestral God and receive treatment.

The Ancestral God was in control of the mystical rejuvenation of vitality—there was hope as long as one did not die on the spot!

The phoenix took off and encircled the vacuum. All kinds of zither tunes materialized to block the waves. Ruan Chengde unleashed his Dharma Form, the Zither-playing Immortal Form!

The lofty Immortal, dressed in an elegant robe, bore an extraordinary appearance. Both of its hands prodded the void, strumming the strings borne out of the operational rhythm of the world. The sound of water was heard nearby, its oscillation making it difficult for others to invade.

The High Priest would have taken the upper hand if he had not been worried about attacking too ferociously that he would topple the great tower and cause their simultaneous deaths.

Third Childe’s eyes remained firm. In fact, his lips were forming a dashing smile.

“The heavier my injuries are, the better I can feel redemption and the more mystical my tunes are!”

A bright red droplet flowed out of the corner of his eye.

The battle inside the small room became more restrained yet fiercer at the same time. Wounds gradually appeared on Third Childe’s body, who neither ran nor evaded. Blood gushed from his split-open skin. His bones were either shattered or sunken. The white-robed man was now like a doll that was about to be completely destroyed. With the blooming of numerous plum blossoms, the Dharma Form turned a little illusory.

Third Childe’s back remained straight and not a hint of stagnation could be found in his zither tune. His eyes remained fixed on the High Priest.

The High Priest, whose foundation was injured, was out of breath after the tough battle. He was close to death. He muttered indistinctly.

“Are you here to recover that item?

“Forget it! You’ll never recover it because we’ve already sacrificed it to the Ancestral God!”

“How would I know if I don’t try?” It was the first time since the battle began that Third Childe spoke. His voice was as melodious as a zither melody. He seemed to speak with difficulty but there was no weakness in his voice.

He had long cast thoughts of life and death aside!

Suddenly, a spherical star emerged in the gloomy, boundless void outside. Its entire body was enveloped by a layer of a dark blue ocean like a condensed droplet.

The deep blue water undulated gently as if breathing and nurturing vitality.

Plop! The great tower drilled into the water.

There was a dint in the seabed as if there was a gem condensing in the hollow space. The destination of the great tower was the deepest part of the seabed where a pavilion sat. In the center of it was the statue of a God standing tall. The color of the statue was a blue so dark that it was nearly black. In its hand was an octagonal sword. Its feet were on a black dragon and water serpents hung from its ears. Numerous items were piled around it, most of them glittering and eye-catching. Evidently, they were no ordinary items.

Kaboom!

The great tower, which bore a crack thanks to He Qi, landed on the seabed at an angle, prompting a violent explosion. The High Priest instantly sank to a state of near death.

Third Childe was not in great condition either. It was as if the wind could sweep his body away at any moment. However, he managed to stagger to his feet and focus his attention on the nearby statue of the god.

Sitting in the most central place of the altar under the statue was an elegant, unadorned zither. Its seven strings could be seen with the naked eye but there seemed to be incorporeal strings condensed from the Dharma and Logos covering the whole zither.

It carried an air of compassion and mercy as if the firmament could not bear exhausting the world. The radiance was restrained and there was no fluctuation of breath. It seemed archaic and damaged.

“It’s really the zither! The Master of the Wang family isn’t mistaken when he said I would have the chance to find it!”

Third Childe’s eyes turned blank as tears brimmed in them. The vision of one of his eyes became blurred as a tear ran down his cheek.

Yes, that was none other than the Zither of Limbo, the divine weapon of the Ruan clan!

When he ascended the Terrestrial Rankings in the past, he could often comprehend and familiarize himself with his family’s divine weapon. However, his youthful arrogance eventually led to his negligence. He often ignored the prohibitions and took the divine weapon out of the secret ground so he could play a tune.

Carelessness and arrogance were bound to incur great disaster. That day, he was comprehending the divine weapon in the water pavilion in his family manor. While he was strumming the strings, three people abruptly emerged from the water.

Despite his best efforts to resist, their strength was overpowering. Moreover, they also used a certain treasure or secret technique to temporarily cloud the divine weapon and cause him to lose control over his strength. In an incredibly short time, before the other masters in the family could react and come to his aid, the three people had inflicted grievous injuries on him. They transformed into water, taking the divine weapon with them. They disappeared without a trace. He was left with only the enemy’s finger.

The Master was furious and locked him inside the secret ground, where he could not even see the light of the day.

The pain, frustration, resentment, as well as his fear for his family, struck him deep in his heart. He spent many years wracking his brain before finally evolving the Sky-splitting and Earth-changing Tune into a song that could restrain the Blue-blooded People. He then waited for his chance.

Today, after so much hardship and torment, he could finally see the divine weapon again. How could he not be moved to tears?

He rose and flew toward the statue.

Suddenly, the gem that contained spherical stars transfomed into Blue-blooded People. There were so many of them, packed so densely that they could not be counted. They were roused from their sleep at the same time and emitted sounds that sent shockwaves throughout the entire sea of stars.

“Intruder on the forbidden area! Kill!”

The waves swayed and the divine weapon of Third Childe instantly lost moisture, cracking before finally breaking.

The sound of the zither tune exploded as Third Childe landed. He moved forward with great difficulty, his Dharma Form behind him playing the zither.

The Blue-blooded People exploded, bursting into dark blue algal bloom. However, there was simply too much water. There was a considerable number of masters as well. The booming voice continued to resound.

“Kill!”

Third Childe’s dark hair unraveled from its bun and cascaded, in stark contrast to his bloodied white robe. His face was as pale as paper.

The Zither of Limbo was all that he could see. He took another step forward and cracks began to appear on the Dharma Form!

This was his mistake. Even if he must give up his life, he swore to compensate for it!

His hair turned white. As the countless Blue-blooded People charged at him, vitality continued to slip out of him.

Though his hair was now as white as snow and wrinkles lined his face, he remained as elegant and lofty as ever. His body, already so frail in the first place, looked like it would collapse at the slightest breeze.

At this point, he was not far from the Zither of Limbo. Taking a deep breath, he strummed the zither in his heart and played the strongest of tunes.

Clank!

With the collapse of the Zither-playing Immortal Form, so did Ruan Chengde. The movements of the Blue-blooded People turned sluggish.

The collapsed blood became ignited and merged with the breath as if it was spilling red clouds upon the Zither of Limbo.

A new layer of dark red shrouded the originally elegant body of the zither. The buzzing sound of vibrations emerged from within the zither.

He then roused the divine weapon by using the Blood Essences of the disciples of the Ruan clan as a guide.

Buzz!

The Zither of Limbo radiated infinite rays of light that contained the shadows of a phoenix and an ancient clock. The zither shuddered violently before breaking out of its restrictions and flying sky high.

A deep, unfathomable breath became evident in the core of the Ancestral God statue but it was a beat slower and failed to stop the zither. It could only try and contaminate the zither.

“Phoenix, True Dragon, ancient clock…” The illusory Vital Spirit of Third Childe stared at all these phenomena, feeling as if he had returned to the time when he first learned the 12 Magical Sounds of Langhuan.

“What a wonderful time!” In his bleary vision, he watched the Zither of Limbo burst into the sky and fly away. A gratified smile appeared on his face. His Vital Spirit then shattered and he sank into complete darkness, leaving only the voice:

“I’ve finally made up for my mistake…”

…

Above the city of Langya, bright rays of light sent illusions swirling in the air. With the dispersal of white flowers, a zither ripped through the void and flew straight to the Ruan family manor.

The zither moved independently, all while resisting the Ancestral God’s breath. The rays of light gradually vanished as if returning to slumber.

The nine-fingered blue-blooded man, who was not far from the city walls, abruptly raised his head. His expression changed greatly as he soared to the sky and tried to seize the zither.

Inside the Ruan family manor, all the Exterior masters looked upward at the same time. Ruan Yaoguang blurted out:

“Zither of Limbo!”

“Zither of Limbo?” Meng Qi never felt more surprised in his life.

He had his own conjectures about the disappearance of the zither of the Ruan clan but wasn’t this divine weapon in the hands of the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms?

How could it fly home on its own?