The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The Oceanic Dominion Pearl hung high in mid-air as it penetrated the dark sea of clouds with its five colors of light. While this greatly weakened the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu, his elusive speed wasn’t even slightly slowed, and he drew closer to the Devil-Rinsing Flag in a breath, and the flag itself moved slowly towards him.

It was then that Meng Qi, who had hammered out a human form again on the walls of the mausoleum, suddenly stretched out his arm to make a grab as a scroll appeared from within a void; the scroll possessed what seemed to be a self-contained landscape that perfectly captured the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu inside.

Secret Treasure: The Map of Mountains and Rivers!

He had retreated, using the Devil-Rinsing Flag as bait to distract the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu and trapped him in the map!

In face of this visionary, experienced and insightful evil spirit of the big powers, had the usage of the Map of Mountains and Waters been discovered beforehand then it would have only proven to be useless. Thus, Meng Qi had distracted the opponent with his true self and tried to seize the Devil-Rinsing Flag with his avatar. And then, his avatar quietly opened the Map of Mountains and Waters before the Devil-Rinsing Flag!

If the goal was to seize the Devil Rinsing Flag, then he had lost the battle. But if he tried to temporarily restrain the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu, Meng Qi had at least obtained the Devil-Rinsing Flag!

Meng Qi lifted the scroll, holding both ends in one hand and released the entrapping power of the Map of Mountains and Water.

Then, he swung the scroll away in the opposite direction and flew toward the Devil-Rinsing Flag. He withdrew his injured two hands and four arms as the “Heaven Inflicted Pain” suddenly vanished from his right hand.

But just when the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu was about to stop his opponent, he felt a chilly wind. The sword light made his body tingle as a long saber that shaped like a huge scar, suddenly appeared behind him.

Poof! The long saber hit him. Soundless thunder exploded everywhere, like an incurable disease, engulfed the evil spirit and turned it to ash.

All of a sudden, the sword light grew bright, and seemed to have swallowed the rays from heaven and earth. The Map of Mountains and Waters became transparent as fissures appeared in the map; a figure donned in black stepped out.

It was then that Meng Qi had Devil-Rinsing Flag in his grasp, with the Oceanic Dominion Pearl overhead and the five colors of light shining beneath it.

The Evil Spirit of Zhenwu squinted, and wielded the long sword forward. In a flash, the sword light split apart, piercing every corner.

Surreal worlds appeared in a row in the mausoleum; the stars, heaven, and earth overlapped as they were all engulfed in sword light.

For a while, Meng Qi was under the impression that there was nowhere one could hide from this sword!

Seven Strokes of Heaven, World of Dao!

In the face of such an inescapable sword, Meng Qi reflected deeply as he was surrounded by the light, there wasn’t even an ounce of fear in him, he poured his strength and spirit into the Devil-Rinsing Flag!

Red mist swirled up as black mist dissipated, and Meng Qi once against took the Devil-Rinsing Flag.

With the sword light on him, he brandished the black flag forward like a sword.

Splash!

The tidewater undid the binding of the Oceanic Dominion Pearl, filling up the entire mausoleum, with every single drop seemingly adding to its weight, to the point where the pressure was about to dent the ground.

Splash!

Red mist filled the air outside the mausoleum as Huangfu Tao, the Star-Picking Immortal and others felt an extremely powerful force beyond anything they could ever imagine!

Hundreds of miles of mountains collapsed with a bang as sacred peaks shattered. Water flooded inside the empty spaces and filled the empty pits full, which shimmered endlessly and finally formed a “Star Seed”.

Splash!

Endless black water surged through toward the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu, and it was only slightly paused by the overwhelming sword light in its way. Then, the black water covered everything.

Seizing the opportunity, the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu collected the longsword, a hideous look forming on his face. He wielded the sword to produce a Mystical Turtle and a Flying Serpent, and then they took on a Black-white Taiji form, creating a strong defense.

Splash!

He was submerged in tide water as he was continuously pounded by the waves. Black and white light were flashing inside the water as the Flying Serpent and the Mystic Tortoise shook.

Splash!

The Black-White Taiji broke, with only the tortoise struggling to provide support.

Splash!

A crazed roar rang out that painfully pierced Meng Qi’s ears.

“I will not give up!”

“I won’t give up!” The tortoise broke as the black water engulfed its body, sweeping through the mausoleum, leaving not a trace of anything, all except the Oceanic Dominion Pearl and the Dragon-Subduing Stand hovering above.

“I. Will. Not. Give. Up!” Meng Qi listened on in terror. He felt mentally exhausted along with the pain in his Vital Spirit and did not even have the strength to lift up one finger.

For him, using the divine weapons was a burden, and he struggled to do so.

As he breathed vigorously, the fluctuating forces of heaven and earth infiltrated his body, and Meng Qi took that opportunity to recover. Only Hades knew whether the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu could indeed be quelled in one fell swoop.

The divine weapon was strong, far stronger than the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu. Then again, it used to belong to the evil spirit; thus it was not that effective!

There was a rip as the tear in the black flag grew more; it was on the verge of breaking apart. The red mist receded as waves of water scattered throughout heaven and earth, sinking into the waters of the outer world, the ground was clean without an ounce of residue.

“You’ve removed the evil spirit, and know the possible whereabouts of Zhenwu. The fifth step in the chain of tasks has been completed.”

“This sixth step of the Zhen Wu task is to find Emperor Zhenwu’s last hiding place, according to what you discovered in the bones of the Netherworld!”

The grand but indifferent voice of the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms rang out. Meng Qi let out a sigh of relief, believing he no longer had to worry about the evil spirit. And were it not for his own many treasures and his willingness to use them, he just had no way out when faced with someone who far surpassed him in knowledge, vision, insight, and power.

Once his mind had relaxed, Meng Qi felt limp and powerless. He did not want to think about the next thing he needed to do. Honestly, he didn’t feel like doing anything right now and simply wanted to sit down, take a deep breathe, and enjoy the warm air.

“This sixth step of the Zhen Wu task is to find Emperor Zhenwu’s last hiding place, according to what I found in the bones of the Netherworld!” Meng Qi furrowed his eyebrows as he thought on the difficulty of the next task at hand.

The bones of the Netherworld were in the possession of the Life-Changing Sect, perhaps dug up by them for some mysterious end. While one of strongest of the Nine Evil Paths obtained the bones, he was afraid that this wouldn’t be that easy. Even with the Wrist Bone of the Netherworld, he might fail to take over other Netherworld bones.

The zombies of the Life-Changing Sect and those within Zhenwu’s Decoy Grave were both quite similar, perhaps when the Life-Changing Sect discovered the Netherworld bones, they as well obtained some information about Zhenwu the Great Emperor… Meng Qi’s spirits rose up as he vigorously absorbed the Vital Qi in the water, almost as if he could bring up the tide. He looked thoughtful now.

It was then that the Devil-Rinsing Flag within his hands began to vibrate slightly. A line of black water rose up from within the flag without any urging and shot directly to the Dragon-Subduing Stand above!

“What’s going on?” Meng Qi jumped up: Great Emperor Zhenwu hid some tricks inside the flag boasted.

The line of water made its way to the Dragon-Subduing Stand, stirring the shimmering water.

A light shot from the Dragon-Subduing Stand swept through the mausoleum. After making sure the evil spirit was gone, it first condensed into a light ball, and then took on the form of a thin old man in robes. It was the Great Zhenwu Emperor dressed in his Taoist robe, the Devil-rinsing Primogenitor!

He looked at Meng Qi tenderly and seemed to see through the latter, and then he cupped his hands as he bowed:

“The evil spirit has been removed, and for that I am grateful.”

“After your fight, few things in the mausoleum may remain. However, I may still have a few impartation and treasures left in other places.”

“The first style of the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception ‘Cutting Tao And Seeking True-self’, along with some other treasures, is buried in the Dark Cave on the Zixing Mountain, where the eternal Earth burns deep within….”

“The fifth style of the World of Dao and a few other treasures are found in Frost Lake on Swallows Mountain…”

“The seventh style of the Dao’s Wax and Dao’s Wane and a few Self-Impartations, along with some treasures, are found on Jiangxinyuan River….”

The light soon faded, leaving nothing but an echoing voice.

“Jiangxinyuan River, Dao’s Wax and Dao’s Wane, the Self-Impartations, and some other treasures. The orthodoxy of the Zhenwu Sect must have been a result of these…” Meng Qi concluded from the adventures of the Zhenwu Sect ancestors.“Judging from the places they were in and the items they obtained, they must have been in the Great Zhenwu Emperor’s hiding place.”

“The Eternal Earth Fire, the Dark Cave… how are these consistent with the records left behind by the ancestors of the Sword Washing Pavilion?” Meng Qi suspected that the Sword Washing Pavilion also obtained Great Emperor Zhenwu’s impartation. But he could only confirm the “Cutting Tao And Seeking True-self” and the treasures; there was no clue left regarding the source of the impartation.

Meng Qi took a deep breath and said to himself, “If this is how it actually is, it seems then that only the World of Dao can be obtained. Well, where’s the primary instruction?

“How can there not be the Primary Instruction of the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception? The Great Zhenwu Emperor must have it, otherwise obtaining the Three Swords will prove impossible!”

“Does he carry it with him, as a core item of the immortal thing? Is it the final prize, along with Zhenwu Great Emperor’s divine weapons, at the end of the chain task?”

Yet it seemed as though the Great Zhenwu Emperor were alive!! Meng Qi shuddered and grabbed up the Oceanic Dominion Pearl, small cracks appearing on it as signs of damage.

The Blood Divine Bead of the Oracle of the Covenant could be used for several times, and the same could be said for the Oceanic Dominion Pearl. Though the more one used it, the more the quality suffered, meaning that divine weapons refined from it later would have less than their expected efficacy. And the pearl would even shatter if used many times again!

Looking at the tiny but abnormally noticeable cracks on the Oceanic Dominion Pearl, Meng Qi was struck with sudden heartache. “The Immortality Elixir of East Pole, the Map of Mountains and Water, and even the Devil-Rinsing Flag, they have all been used to their maximum potential, and I still need to make an effort for the Seven Strokes of Heaven.

“Swallows Mountain and Frost Lake… I can find the current location from the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms this time, right?”

Looking around, he realized that the mausoleum had been washed clean, with refined copper and skillfully crafted steles destroyed by the divine weapons and the aftershocks…

“There has to be a way to regain what was lost…” Meng Qi’s heart was filled with great sadness.

…

Looking at the vast lake outside the mausoleum, Master Xiyue suddenly shivered, a slight sign of distraction manifesting in his eyes.

“Don’t worry too much about it; Taoist Qingyuan is indeed a master, he’ll definitely no longer be of trouble to you.” The Star-Picking Immortal said in a consoling tone, “And didn’t he decide to not take revenge just now?”

“Right. An apology after the dust settles and a few words of forgiveness from Taoist Qingyuan will most likely result in the issue being left to rest,” The Sword Shaking the World said.

Master Xiyue gave a forced smile. “I also believe in Taoist Qingyuan’s kindness; I’ll return to the Moon Village in preparation for the apology.”

The Star-Picking Immortal and the others nodded in agreement with his choice, though merely out of curiosity as to how he avoided things without first making an apology.

It was then that He Cansheng sneered, saying, “Doesn’t matter if Taoist Qingyuan shows forgiveness or not, My God-Gathering Heights is still at odds with the Moon Village!”

Why didn’t they bury the hatchet when the God-Gathering Heights were destroyed?

Depression crept up onto Master Xiyue’s face, and he didn’t argue, ordering The Green-Blooded Dragon King and the others to evacuate before he himself returned to the Moon Village.

He flew for a while, and when he was out of view of the audience, his mouth suddenly twisted to the side as a certain majestic look showed in his eyes!

“I actually escaped!” He let out a sigh, a tone indicative of the Evil Spirit of Zhenwu!

He hadn’t died after all! He was still in the body of Master Xiyue!

Joy filled his heart and his mind surged with thoughts:

“I had guessed early on that HE would have some tricks hidden within the magic flag. How would I get my hands on it!”

“I was just pretending to get into the fierce battle. I’ve given up most of my strength for The Art of Deception!”

Outside the mausoleum, Master Xiyue was in the weakest state, making him a natural target!

He let out a sigh as he said, “He actually protected me from the Devil-Rinsing Flag. Was it intentional that he revealed himself last time?”

His mind began to be flooded with doubts, and yet they couldn’t hold back his inner joy.

After today, he would be free; the seas would surge and the birds would fly high in the sky!

All of a sudden, a figure wearing a slick Taoist garb came up at high speed, and “Master Xiyue’s” eyes suddenly went wide.

He saw the handsome Taoist monk who was inside the mausoleum stopped him and then bowed.

“Donor Xiyue, while I was originally willing to bury the hatchet and not seek revenge, but it ultimately proved too difficult a task. I can’t forget how I was almost done in by you, and I still have words to say about it!”

“My, I’m so narrow-minded and vengeful. What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Master Xiyue” stared blankly at the “mean” little monk before him, not saying a single word.

“Gee, you have so much yin force inside you, and your glabella has turned dark… as if you’ve been possessed!” Meng Qi suddenly became aware of the truth!