The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

“The Sword of the Human Sovereign!” The purple and green flames around Han Guang went dead briefly. However, he neglected to step forward. For once, the evil mastermind who had disguised himself for decades as the Abbot of the Shaolin order; one who was composed through-out the ordeals finally showed a sign of surprise.

“The Sword of the Human Sovereign; the sword which equaled the Blade of Timeshadow and the Heaven-Killing Axe has finally shown itself?”

“And it has fallen into the possession of Gao Lan?”

He has long felt doubtful about Gao Lan’s unknown confidence. He had been guessing the hidden card that Gao Lan has hidden up his sleeve for long but never once expected it to be the long-lost relic, the Sword of the Human Sovereign!

The proud and stern demeanor of Gao Lan could clearly be seen from its reflection within Han Guang’s dark and deep gaze. Dressed in rich and dark robes and wearing a blank mask, he stood tall and stretched his right arm out, with the faint golden sword in it. Mirages and silhouettes of deities, evil spirits, immortals, and demons hovered around him. Images of mountains and rivers, as well as celestial bodies of the skies, appeared and imprinted themselves on a large map which stood behind him, whose presence grew like a true king.

Ferocious winds blew and howled around him, dispelling the air of gloom that has plagued the area for more than tens of thousands of years. The vengeful spirits of the dragons once executed upon the Dragon Stage turned silent as if they were tamed by an overwhelming presence.

The angry thunderclaps subsided and the flames went out with the vanishing silhouette of the Chaotic Void. The magical restrictions imposed upon the Dharma and Logos of Nature around the areas of the Celestial Judgment Gate were undone instantly, affecting them no more, save for the final restriction that has forbidden flying around the entirety of the Ninth Heaven.

Everything around bend their will to Gao Lan, recognizing him as the ruler of the domain as he walked.

He held absolute power in his fingertips as he walked, conquering everything with majesty!

………..

The amazing aura of his presence swept away the air of gloom and despair and shot into the sky, growing with magnitude and vastness that filled also the Fairy-banishing Pool nearby.

The magical restrictions in the surroundings of the Pool crumbled. As the last of the fog subside, one of the Peaches came to life. Looking in the color of blood, it hopped and staggered out of its hiding spot as if it was startled.

But Meng Qi had paid no heed to its movements for his attention was occupied to the words that Gu Xiaosang had murmured softly,

“The Sword of the Human Sovereign!”

“The Sword of the Human Sovereign!” Immediately, Meng Qi remembered his journey with his bearded sworn brother, Gao Lan, into the sea of fire, the Dragon Stage, and the Human Emperor’s Ancient Path.

His sworn brother had searched through the fire for a long time, only to emerge with an iron rod and the iron lump which he had later used to refine the Flowing Fire. There was no sign of the Sword of the Human Sovereign then. But now, in the domain of the Celestial Court, one of the two practitioners of the Dharmakaya Realm from the guild of The Myths was wielding the Sword?

With her extensive knowledge in the secrets of ancient lore, Gu Xiaosang would never be mistaken!

Additionally, the entry for the Sword in the Exchange List of the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms was marked as “Empty”. No one, not even the powerful Samsara traveler Taoist Chonghe with an abundance of Karma Points would have been able to procure it!

According to records from past dynasties, the True Emperor Seal was created with the semblance of the aura of the Sword of the Human Emperor. This would mean that it was extremely possible that the Sword of the Human Sovereign was hidden within the Dragon Stage. Moreover, there was no telling that who else have entered the Dragon Stage since the calamity of the Demonic Buddha aside from himself and Gao Lan!

“Could it be that the iron rod that he had retrieved then was actually the Sword?”The thought occurred to Meng Qi suddenly, having read too much of novels. “Is the practitioner of the Dharmakaya Realm with Han Guang now actually my sworn brother? No, that would be his other persona, the true Mad Prince!”

“What happened to my ‘insanely good fortune’, if this were to be true…” Meng Qi thought as the dread that the likelihood of his fears coming true grew more and more.

Then again, the powerful warrior now with Han Guang could also be an entity with immense powers who had hailed from the Western Regions or even other worlds such as the Apotheosis World. He or she might have come across the Sword of the Human Sovereign and was then invited into The Myths.

Then again, Meng Qi hardly has any time to deduce the identity of the wielder of the Sword, for it could never be the Dharma King Dushi of the Luo Denomination!

For the Dharma King Dushi would barely be able to hold off the combined duo of the Evil Master, Han Guang and the wielder of the Sword, even if the wielder could only sparingly control the powers of the Sword!

When would one flee, if not now?

The Aperture acupoints around Meng Qi’s body released the silhouettes of his Dharmic Form. With the powers he summoned, he was about to speed ahead as fast as possible. His senses stretched towards Gu Xiaosang, ready to rouse her from her stupor in she was still dazed by the sudden incident.

Given his limited knowledge of the insides of the Celestial Court, Meng Qi did not even know the way of escape. Without Gu Xiaosang to lead the way, there could be greater perils ahead!

In Meng Qi’s eyes at present, Gu Xiaosang was no longer the wicked and scheming Holy Maiden of the Luo Denomination whose designs were always perfect and unforeseeable. There could also be times when she could be surprised and shocked by events that did not occur in manners she had predicted. Meng Qi felt greater confidence in him. He would no longer have to suffer being completely misled like a mule the next time they face off!

Although he had a lot to catch to her in the art of deception and trickery, Meng Qi would never have to be completely subdued by her in the future!

“Come to think of it, it was also my sworn brother, Gao Lan who had surprised the cunning demoness Gu Xiaosang. And this time, it is highly likely him who wields the sword too. Do I have to behave irrationally and rabidly and deviate from the norm in order to escape the devious schemes of the cunning demoness?”

But Gu Xiaosang had only suffered a momentary shock. She had regained her usual airiness by the time Meng Qi had sensed her. She blinked playfully at Meng Qi, hinting that they should pick up their pace.

“Does she have another gambit hidden in her sleeves?” Meng Qi wondered, feeling slightly at ease at her regained calmness.

Suddenly, they heard a sudden crackle.

Without the restrictions against the Dharma and Logos of Nature, Xi, the “Sun God” could now summon his full strength!

Rays of glimmering shades sprouted from his back; lights of different colors: brown, yellow, black, white, purple and others. The silhouettes of his Dharmic Forms such as the Delicate Tower and a taijitu symbol materialized behind him and converged on his right fist which he struck forth with fury!

Crack!

The restraints created by Gu Xiaosang snapped and the enemy broke out with sheer force!

Now, standing before Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang, was a true and unfettered Grandmaster.

With pursuers from behind with the powers of the Dharmakaya Realm and the Sword of the Human Sovereign, and another foe of the Grandmaster Realm barring their way; Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang did not look at each other nor had they communicated via telepathy. There was no need to, for they both knew what to do.

It was suicidal to fight against the Dharmakaya practitioners coming from behind, thus defeating Xi, the “Sun God” was the only option they had, and they had to do so with haste and a resolute will to survive and flee into safety within the depths of the Celestial Court!

There would surely be chances for his and Gu Xiaosang’s survival in the labyrinth of passageways in the Celestial Court since the primary purpose of Han Guang and the others were to seek for treasures and relics!

With a time of the essence, through blood and steel, they would have to press on without sparing any expense!

Still, it would not be practical to just use another material for the forging of Divine Weapons. Flanked only by clouds and the Fairy-banishing Pool on both sides, there will be certain death for anyone who fell off the edges of the path, making the area suitable for the detonation of materials or minerals. But the Pool was merely tens of meters wide. Xi could easily avoid any bombardments from them and simply evade temporarily to attack them later.

An attack would still be useless no matter how strong it was if it failed to hit its target!

Hence, Meng Qi planned to charge head-on against his foe with the Law Phenomenon enchantment. With two heads, additional limbs, and his improved skills with the sword and saber, he would try his best to pin Xi down while allowing Gu Xiaosang the opportunity to deliver the fatal stroke.

As the Holy Maiden of the Luo Denomination and the incarnation of the Ajati Matriarch, she would surely have items or minerals with her that could be used as incendiaries!

In situations where the roles are vaguely assigned, Meng Qi preferred a straightforward approach against enemies to create chances for his allies!

He shouted, “Open!”

With the spell of the Thundering Scream, Meng Qi cast his enchantment. His body grew tens of meters tall. Both his heads looked down at Xi, while his limbs wielded his four blades simultaneously: the Flowing Fire, the Heaven Inflicted Pain, the Purple Lightning Blade, and the Sword of the Mystic Turtle. With the powers he drew from the environment around him, he smote at his enemy!

Gu Xiaosang formed several hand seals and channeled immeasurable amounts of energies on her palms. A beautiful and serene silhouette of a deity figurine appeared, giving off a pale air of otherworldly divinity.

The silhouette of the statue flew into her forehead. The aura of her presence enlarged rapidly, her usual airiness bolstered with a sudden majestic serenity and a benevolent demeanor. Chants could be heard reverberating through the air around her,

“The Ajati Matriarch, The Vacuum Hometown!”

Just then, Meng Qi saw Xi producing a black feather laced with gold. Without a true bout with his foe, Meng Qi saw flames upon the feather. Its intense heat was held within that Meng Qi could almost feel himself melting from the heat just by a mere glance! It reminded him of his Great Sun Flaming Heart!

“The main material for Divine Weapons!”

Meng Qi felt a sudden shuddered, warning him of the dangers that the feather held. “To think that Xi also has magical materials which he has no reservations in using!”

He would never escape the fate of being annihilated if he was to suffer a direct hit by an explosion caused by magical materials!

Immediately, Meng Qi instinctively ducked to the sides and evaded the flaming incendiary hurled towards him.

Boom!

Flames of green and purple brushed past his body and singed his Taoist robes, the faint glow of his protection enchantment dulled faintly by the burning flames that passed. Meng Qi saw the bubbling pond of the Fairy-banishing Pool before him. But he was already in mid-air without any points that he could step on!

With the pain on his back stinging him, Meng Qi now understood: Xi had not hurled the exploding feather directly at him. Rather, Xi was trying to force him to leap into the Fairy-banishing Pool himself and the exploding incendiary was actually meant for Gu Xiaosang!

Meng Qi could not fly due to the restrictions imposed in the domain of the Celestial Court. Yet under him, the Fairy-banishing Pool awaited him, eager to reduce him into a common man. The soft chants of “The Ajati Matriarch, The Vacuum Hometown” echoed around his ears and he could distinctly smell the fresh scent of water lilies. Without an ounce of anxiety, he curled his body and turned into a flying bird with a poof.

“What about this! I can still fly!”

“Even if I am forbidden from flying in the sky, I can still glide with my wings and small body! And I still have the Void Flight technique as a fail-safe!”

Meng Qi heard a sudden gurgling sound rising from the pond underneath him. A huge bubble burst upon the surface of the formerly silent and still Fairy-banishing Pool. A white figure arose from the pond with unkempt and disheveled hair that veiled his appearance. His figure was bloated after many years of death.

His eyes flickered open suddenly, revealing a set of pupil-less eyes!

Meng Qi felt a sudden force drawing him down from below. He could vividly hear the voices of the dead boring deep into his mind. The form of the bird he had turned into began to plummet like a rock.

But Meng Qi was at his most calm in the face of impending doom. He returned to his human form and channeled his genuine Qi, propelling himself in mid-air and leaped towards the edge of the pond.

By then, Gu Xiaosang was already deep in combat against Xi.

But the force drawing him downwards increased suddenly, a will that bent on dragging him down into the pool. Meng Qi’s hand grabbed forward. So close was the embankment of the pond, yet it seemed so far away.

The liquid in the pond churned and bubbled in expectation of Meng Qi’s descent!

Just then, Meng Qi’s perilous fall into the pond came to a halt; he was being suspended in mid-air by a ribbon sash wrapped tightly around his waist.

“Gu Xiaosang saved me?’

Meng Qi looked up with disbelief. He saw Gu Xiaosang losing her stand against the overwhelming blows of her foe and was avoiding as frantically as she could. Yet, her eyes looked dark and distant, her true purposes still obscured.

Crack!

The Animated Peach flew out from nowhere and smacked hard on the head of the vengeful corpse, sending it back into the depths of the pond with a splash.

Without any time for further thought, Meng Qi tugged himself over the pond with the sash and hopped onto the banks of the pond. In his hand, he had produced the Frost-eye Crystal. With Gu Xiaosang keeping Xi occupied, he would strike as hard as he could!

Noticing Meng Qi’s return into the fray, two flaps of wings sprouted from the back of Xi, formed by his Fortune Purple Qi. He leaped into the air, escaping when he still held the upper hand in combat against Gu Xiaosang and disappeared amongst the plumes of clouds.

The passage has been forced open!