The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The Golden-Stamped Detective, who was in charge of the Heavenly List, the Ground List, and the Man List, could tell why the chief of detectives was so delighted. He smiled, cupped his hands together, and said, “This time around, there will be a big change on the Heavenly List. It has never happened before since the day it was established. I think no one from from the government hall could’ve expect this.”

Sima Shi, who had yellowish-black hair, was wearing a turban on his head. He was showing a calm attitude that was neither too arrogant nor too timid. He said in a relaxed tone, “Marquis Pingjin, unexpectedly, was killed by the demon race. It’s a good thing but also a bad thing for the imperial family. The bad thing is, in a world of conflict like this, the aristocratic families would be missing a pillar of strength like him. Without a rise of another talented youngster in the coming time, how are they going to confront Gao Lan from the North Zhou Dynasty who has always been casting a greedy eye on his prey? The clans and sects are maintaining the order of the Central Plains, but they don’t really care about whether it is Jin Dynasty or Zhou Dynasty. Hence, it’s very unlikely for Su Wu Ming to get involved in the matters of the imperial family.”

“The good thing is, the top-tiered aristocratic families are already aware of the world situation. Since they understand the importance of a rise of another Dharmakaya to the Great Jin Dynasty, they have loosened up the supervision toward the imperial family. The King of Qin can then refine the Forces of Living Beings and lay a good foundation to realize Dharmakaya.”

The King of Qin was the Octupole Sky-Dragon, Zhao Jingshi.

The Dharmakaya of Half-Step in the aristocratic families of the Great Jin Dynasty had included Si Mayin, the head of the Si Family from Xiliang; Old Master Ruan from the Ruan Family; the King of Qin, Zhao Jingshi; and the chief of detectives, Sima Shi from the Sect of Six-Fans. It might also be possible for the current gurus or the Tip-Tops to realize Dharmakaya in the near future. For instance, those who were currently at the peak of the Exterior Realm which included Wang Wenxian from the Wang Family of Zhou Jun, Wang Siyuan from the Wang Family of Jiangdong, Su Meng and Su Ziyuan from the Su Family of Shen Du, and so on. Nevertheless, in a short period of time, the four Dharmakaya of Half-Step still had the greatest possibility to achieve Dharmakaya.

Among the four of them, Old Master Ruan was the oldest and the most experienced one. However, he had lost both the drive and enthusiasm to win and a mind of clarity.

Si Mayin was the youngest Dharmakaya of Half-Step that had a perfect combination of potential, enthusiasm and mentality. Nonetheless, since Han Guang, Gao Lan, and Su Wu Ming, had also been stuck in this realm for a long time before they progressed to the Dharmakaya level, Si Mayin would not be the exception. After all, he was still lacking of some experiences.

Sima Shi had been spending years in the realm of Dharmakaya of Half-Step and thereby had mastered his martial arts to perfection. Also, he was not too old. Although he seemed to have no shortcomings in every aspect, he came from a humble background. As a result, the martial art that he first came in contact with was not a good one. He had been constantly searching for a better art to replace the previous one until he devoted himself to the Zhao Family from Shen Du. It was until then that he had finally obtained an art of Dharmakaya-level. Even though he was not feeling regret for that, there had always been side effects of constantly switching his major art. He would have to make a lot of efforts to refine his state of mind until he was able to understand the art thoroughly and to remedy his weak foundation. Before he could get rid of these side effects, he did not even think of attaining Dharmakaya.

Zhao Jingshi had been previously defeated by the Devil Master which left him a weak point in mind. It took him thirty years of guarding at the Imperial Mausoleum to eliminate the weak point and enter the third level of the Heavenly Stairs. However, given the fact that he was able to get himself together after a great failure, he had demonstrated an outstanding state of mind and willpower. His past experience had obviously become the most precious treasure in his life. After refining the Forces of Living Beings to remedy the lack of battle experiences, he would have the best odds to realize Dharmakaya in ten years. Thus, the top-tiered aristocratic families had ceased supervising the imperial family due to this reason.

After hearing what Sima Shi had said, the Golden-Stamped Detective showed a broad smile, “Congratulations to the King of Qin, the emperor and his brother, and the chief of detectives.”

Sima Shi did not say anything else. He moved backward slightly to lean on the back of the chair. He decided to not discussing too much about the matters of the imperial court. Knocking on the armrest of the chair lightly, he said in a slow pace, “Mister Luda from Huamei Heights has already entered the realm of an Earth Fairy. Since he even displays some characteristics of a Legendary Realm, nobody in the world can ever beat him. Good reputation comes naturally from a real achievement. He should really be ranked as top one on the Heavenly List.”

Sima Shi started to rearrange the rankings on the Heavenly List.

“Displaying some characteristics of a Legendary Realm?” The Golden-Stamped Detective had a blank look on his face as he had no idea what it meant. How did the chief of detectives know about this?

Sima Shi chuckled and said, “Those who know about Legendary Realm would get the terrific meaning of what I’ve just said. Those who have no clue about it would never get what it means. If the secret agent didn’t point it out, I would never know that Mister Luda has already got to this level. To stand at the peak of the world, to exert the finest control. To stand at the peak of the world, to exert the finest control…”

“Is this what he said?” The eyes of the Golden-Stamped Detective had lit up.

The Frenzied Blade, Su Meng had been a favorite person of many Dharmakaya and therefore he knew a lot of secrets.

“Yes. He pointed it out bluntly because he hopes this news can stabilize the current world situation by beating the sinister motives of some evil people.” Sima Shi had been so experienced that he could tell Meng Qi’s purpose in just one glance.

The Golden-Stamped Detective was startled. He then heaved a sigh of mixed feelings and said, “Mister Luda has not stepped into Jianghu for years. The people are saying that he’s still depressed about the death of his wife. They said that he has become dispirited and not as powerful as before. However, to my surprise, he has turned out to be more powerful. I have mixed feelings now…”

Sima Shi continued in saying, “Gao Lan from the North Zhou Dynasty is already an emperor. Since he has been ruling over a hundred million people, the Treasure Body of Living Beings must have been improved. He might even have chances of becoming an Earth Fairy in the future. On a side note, the Emperor’s Sword has recognized him as its master and is awakened to the level of Earth Fairy for killing enough people. The credits should go to Gao Lan as well.”

“Gao Lan is such an outstanding person other than Mister Luda. Therefore he should be ranked second on the Heavenly List. His nickname will be changed from the Mad King to the Mad Emperor.”

Although the ranking on the Heavenly List was mainly determined by battle records, the realm would still be taken into account into the overall evaluation of one’s combat capability to ensure fairness. Therefore, the Golden-Stamped Detective was not surprised by Si Mashi’s decision to put Gao Lan at the second place. Even though Su Wu Ming had entered a higher realm in just one day and had brilliant battle records for killing tons of people, he lost out for not having a Heavenly Weapon and the power equivalent to the Earth Fairy realm.”

Sima Shi then paused and pondered for a few moments before he said, “In recent years, the demon race has refused to stay out of the limelight as they have been constantly stirring up troubles. I won’t leave them out of the Heavenly List. The people need to know that the demons are not unbeatable. There are people who are much stronger than the demons and therefore they don’t have to feel panic at all.”

“The Demon King Peacock, Tai Li, is having the Holy Light of Five Colors. It has also gained control over the awakened Spear of Mythical Creatures that is equivalent to the Earth Fairy realm. Therefore, Tai Li will be at the third place on the Heavenly List.”

The Golden-Stamped Detective was taking notes in a rapid speed. He then said with a smile, “Since the Scorpio Axe has already gone missing and Gu Erduo is only left with some residual Real Spirits, he won’t be getting on the list, right?”

The rankings of the people who were ranked below Mister Luda should be determined by the level of the Heavenly Weapon as it would greatly affect the power of a Dharmakaya.

Sima Shi gave a slight nod to express his approval toward the opinion of his subordinate. He then continued in saying, “Su Wu Ming from the Xi Jian Pavilion has been ranked as top one on the Ground List for realizing the Heavenly Body that demonstrates characteristics of a Legendary Realm. He has also shown his presence everywhere: striking the Great Asura, Meng Nan and the Demon King Bull Kui with his sword; defeating the Wizard King of this World; inflicting serious injuries on the Rakshasa of Bloody Sea; and impeding Gu Erduo while collaborating with the Godly Monk Kong Wen to defeat the Demon King Peacock. If he puts in his best efforts, he might be able to win a battle against the Mad Emperor or the Demon King Peacock. However, since there is no exact battle record for that, we will put him at the fourth place on the Heavenly List, tentatively.”

Demonstrating characteristics of a Legendary Realm and showing his presence everywhere? Although the Golden-Stamped Detective was aware of the battle results, this was the first time he heard of the detailed information. He felt curious and amazed at the same time.

“The Devil Master Han Guang, the mythical Celestial Ruler. He has got the inheritance from both the Celestial Ruler and the Nether Demon. With his exceptional wisdom and power, he is skilled in controlling time and destruction. On a side note, he has got something valuable from the Ananda Pure Land at the back mountain of Shaolin. He should be ranked as fifth on the Heavenly List.” Sima Shi was recalling the information given by Meng Qi.

The Golden-Stamped Detective said in shock, “The Ananda Pure Land at the back mountain of Shaolin?”

What was this again?

“The Frenzied Blade, Su Meng has made a special request to add this information on the list.” Sima Shi was not sure of the exact situation, too. The monk who worked as a secret agent for him had not send any information back from the Shaolin Temple yet.

The Golden-Stamped Detective shook his head confusingly, but he was still taking the notes according to what he had heard.

“The Wizard King of this World has swallowed up the Demon King White Tiger, and hence there would be a huge leap in his power. He will be ranked sixth on the Heavenly List. On the other hand, the Sword Maniac, He Qi has mastered the Formless Sword and collaborated with Gao Lan to kill Da Man. He will be ranked seventh. The Demon King Bai Ze had been at the peak of Man Fairy, but he was then repressed for many years. Recently, he has been hurt badly by Su Wu Ming, and hence it’s hard to assess his power at the moment. Let’s rank him as eighth on the Heavenly List.” Sima Shi said while sinking into deep thoughts, “The Immortal Yun He from the Sect of Nature is a Taoist priest that specializes in talisman. He has just become a God of Sun that is equivalent to a Dharmakaya. He can set up the Formation of Nature in the blink of an eye with the Shang Qing Immemorial Talisman, and thus should be ranked ninth. The Rakshasa of Bloody Sea who has just entered the Dharmakaya realm is beaten by Su Wu Ming. He will be ranked tenth.”

“Although there are still ten places available on the Heavenly List, the people who get on list are already different.” The Golden-Stamped Detective sighed once again. As there were five new faces on the current list, half of the people from the previous list were gone!

He then kept the notes for the Heavenly List and turned to the Ground List. He said, “Su Wu Ming had got into a higher realm. Although Qiu Wansheng from the Sword-Enshrining Tower, the head of the Cao Family, and several well-known people from the Grassland had died, there are some new forces joining in. The Ice Fairy, Ye Yuqi has entered the third level of the Heavenly Stairs. The Heaven-Piercing Sword, Nangong Hen has reached to the peak of the Exterior Realm. The Invisible Peach Blossom, Li Sinong has gained control over the Lifeless Sword. The Frenzied Blade, Su Meng and the Siren of Daluo, Gu Xiaosang have become gurus. There will be a lot of changes on the Ground List as well…”

Sima Shi nodded and said, “Shou Jing from the Xuan Tian Sect will be the first on the Ground List. Xiahou Yan from Lulong, the Living Buddha of Rotary, the Nether Emperor and Xuanji Zi from Zhenwu Sect will be the second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. The rankings of the people following them will move forward two places, until the Spear of Overlord, Wang Xingkong and the Ice Fairy are ranked below them. The Ice Fairy will be ranked thirteenth.”

Other than Si Mashi, Wang Xingkong was the only self-learner of magical arts who had attained Dharmakaya of Half-Step.

The Golden-Stamped Detective was making changes on the rankings rapidly as he listened to the analysis of the chief of detectives.

“The rankings of the people who have not attained Dharmakaya of Half-Step will be moved one place forward. Since Cui Qingyu has taken control over the Battle-Stopping Swordsmanship, he will be replacing Ye Yuqi’s place of twenty-third. Emm… The Frenzied Blade, Su Meng will be ranked twenty-fourth, one place higher than the Oracle Feng Dian.” Sima Shi pondered about the order of ranking.

“Twenty-fourth?” The Golden-Stamped Detective was stunned by Su Meng’s ranking. Even though he was aware that Su Meng had already become a guru and hence he would certainly be ranked among the top one-hundred on the Ground List, he did not expect the chief of detectives to rank him as the twenty-fourth on the list!

What kind of concept was this? The people who were ranked among the top twenty-three were the leaders of the top-tiered forces and well-known figures in the world. Since when had Su Meng came to this level?

Sima Shi grinned and said, “According to the secret agent of the Sword-Enshrining Tower, Su Meng had captured Hasula who was ranked among top fifty and left the fight gracefully despite facing three quasi-Dharmakaya, and three people who were ranked among top twenty-four on the Ground List that held Heavenly Weapons. He even broke through the outermost layer that consisted of twenty to thirty gurus. Em. Someone has also spotted Hasula returning to the North with severe injuries. In contrast, Su Meng was safe and sound.”

“Oh ya, he had been capturing the Vile Heavenly Demon alive, too.”

“This is…” The Golden-Stamped Detective felt that he could not understand the world anymore.

Less than four years ago, Su Meng was just a novice that had just entered the stage of Orifices-Point Activation!

…

Meng Qi was sailing into the City of Guang Ling at Jiangdong.

After rushing to Jiangdong through the Fairy World, he had went to Chang Chuan. He was told that Feng Yuanjing had been captured by Duan Rui and did not return home for several years since. Although they had tried to search for her whereabouts using the miraculous foresight, her trails had been covered by some eminent people and therefore she was not able to tracked.

Just then, something had came to Meng Qi’s mind. During his last visit to Guang Ling, someone had passed him a note. On the note, it wrote that Wang Siyuan had went into the Door of Stone at the back mountain of Shaolin before. Thus, Meng Qi was guessing that the one who wrote the note was Duan Rui as Wang Siyuan was using him as a tool to open the door!

Therefore, Meng Qi had passed a message to the Sect of Six-Fans so that they could help him in spreading the news regarding the intrusion of the Devil Master into the Ananda Pure Land. In this way, Duan Rui would see Meng Qi as a source of valuable information and come to him.