The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Meng Qi rushed straight toward the yard where Kill-stopping Cultivator lived. After jumping over the wall, he felt at ease upon seeing the firewood in a good order. He then sat cross-legged in a random pile.

Unfathomable as Heaven-destined Cultivator was, he held a pessimistic even desperate attitude toward fate. He could think that Meng Qi was destined to be chased by the demonic cult, so he would stand by and watch Meng Qi be killed. Just in case, Meng Qi was more cautious even after he hid in the temple. The Shen family had been rooted here for many years, and they had to know him as well as Meng Qi. After they were done trying him with small demons, they would try their best to silence Meng Qi.

He couldn’t see through the two taoists, but he guessed that Kill-stopping Cultivator would possibly demand an execution on him.

Meng Qi had unmasked himself, revealing his simple and common appearance with a hint of demonic charm. Unless the Exterior masters came to identify him face-to-face, they wouldn’t know his real looks.

Serious and composed, he was seated cross-legged with eyes half open.

A lanky silhouette abruptly rushed out of the darkness and hit Meng Qi with its hands full of a black liquid. It was half-human and half-demon. Its bones were rather soft, and its hands like teeth.

Meng Qi opened his deep dark eyes filled with chaos. He then held up his right palm, spread five white fingers, and then fanned with a momentum of shrouding heaven and earth.

The palm was so heavy that the demon felt as if the nearby space curled and tied itself up. It couldn’t dodge the attack, so it merely raised its hands to meet the strike.

“Bang!”

Its two hands were pushed back by Meng Qi’s palm. As a result, its hands, together with the palm, hit its forehead.

As its head exploded, the demon fell to the ground twitching with its blood and brains spattering and its Vital Spirit fading away. It then converted into a black-skinned serpent with a broken head and fine scales.

In the Shen family, it counted as a strong demon below the Half-step to the Exterior level. Even though it didn’t reach the Heaven-man Connection realm or the like, it was a big game by hinging on its tough body and natural talents. However, it couldn’t even shirk Meng Qi’s single attack and ended up with its head smashed.

As the ancient Dharmakaya movement, Skythrowing Palm deserved its reputation. Having derived from it, the move Turning Heaven and Earth upside and down was fierce and strong, too.

Meanwhile, one more demon lunged at him from another corner of the darkness. Tall and strong, it made its moves in accordance with the rules of heaven and earth. As its surrounding wind became louder like ghost cries, it became a little more marvelous, though it didn’t coagulate a Monster Core.

Having already sat, Meng Qi clenched his left fist and concentrated his Energy, Qi, and Spirit. He then thrust the fist out.

Grim and capable of exorcising devils, the fist rushed at the demon with a tint of jade light. As it smashed downward, the demonic wind dissipated, and the ghostly cries stopped immediately. The demon’s actions slowed as if its soul was in a trance, and then the fist struck its forehead.

“Bang!”

Its head was blasted away with brains everywhere. Soon, it revealed its original appearance. It was a Tiger Spirit.

As the door opened with a squeak, Kill-stopping Cultivator walked out with an ax in her right hand. She had dainty eyebrows, beautiful eyes, a high nose and a thin mouth.

Stone-faced, she glimpsed at the bodies on the ground as she inhaled and exhaled several times. Her eyes immediately flashed an eerie series of emotions including nostalgia, impulse and exhilaration.

Having taken a deep breath, she secretly lunged with the ax as she took a step forward. However, Meng Qi felt his hair stand on end due to her desire to kill. It was as if she was about to split the sky.

That pure desire from heaven and earth converged, the ax turned into a dark shadow, piercing the empty ground.

The earth wriggled and then surged. A silhouette came out of it with closed eyes and a half a face.

After rolling for a while, it transformed into a giant red earthworm covered with mucus.

Meng Qi vaguely saw a brown Monster Core through its split head. He was shocked, thinking, “She only attacked this Half-step Exterior Scenery monster with one move. It really died immediately?”

Even if she wasn’t as good as Heaven-destined Cultivator, her strength was just as mysterious.

She exuded the joy of a child, adding some glamor to her already dainty face. However, she subsequently felt self-loathing. As she bit her lip, she walked toward the firewood and repeatedly split them.

One chop after another, she became calm again.

Since she had eradicated a demon, no one dared to sneak in. In part, that was because she was way too powerful. More importantly, she belonged to Heaven-destined Temple, and her attitude represented the temple. If the demonic cult tirelessly hunted him down, Heaven-destined Cultivator would consider slaughtering the demons fate.

The eccentric taoist wouldn’t help him unless he regarded the whole thing as a fate.

Meng Qi stood up and dashed toward where Heaven-destined Cultivator had been, wanting to talk him and report the horrible news to Six Fan School. He would run away by then, after all, his present identity was only befitting Heavenly Primogenitor. Plus, no one knew he was Su Meng, the Killing Blade.

Approaching the wall, Meng Qi could not find Heaven-destined Cultivator anywhere. After a search, he found nothing, so he left the yard.

He didn’t dare step out of the temple on a dark night. What if the Exterior monsters of the Shen family were lurking outside?

They wouldn’t attack him in broad daylight when people were here and there the next day. He then could arrive at Wen’an City safe and sound to report it to Six Fan School.

Three demon corpses lied in Kill-stopping Cultivator’s yard. Meng Qi felt a little hesitant, weighing which was more important between keeping his image and collecting materials to exchange for Karma points.

He became quite happy and gave up on keeping his image knowing that he wasn’t a threat to the two taosits at all. He lifted his sleeves and squatted down to peel off the skins and rake through usable items, covering his slim powerful hands with blood.

How diligent and frugal he was!

Having placed the items into the bamboo container under his robe, he took a look at the dead Earthworm Spirit. Swallowing, he said, “Taoist, here is your Monster Core.”

He threw it to Kill-stopping Cultivator.

She gave him a cold look and waved her hand to push it back. “Do you intend to remind me that I’ve broken a precept?”

“No…” Meng Qi was apalled at first, and then he felt happy.

The Monster Core was his!

He smoothly stripped the usable items of the Earthworm Spirit before washing his hands. He then sat cross-legged on the firewood with a tidy robe, becoming charming again.

He couldn’t risk his life by being hit by the ax to ask her to be the whistleblower. He had to patiently wait for tomorrow.

After a long while, the dawn arrived. Meng Qi passed by yards and halls and headed for the gate. He planned to meet Lyu Jian and ask him to go to Six Fan School.

“The Shen family secrets have come to light, but why did the little fox leave Heavenly Sea Source for River East? What for?” Meng Qi thought while walking. He couldn’t guess due to the lack of leads.

“The Shen family turned out to be demons. That’s why their fates were obscured as if they were covered with something. I didn’t think I was proficient in my skills…” An emotional vent sounded in his ears.

Meng Qi was startled before turning his head to see the speaker. It was Heaven-destined Cultivator with a half-white half-black beard.

“Taoist, stop appearing like this, will you?” said Meng Qi in a helpless tone. “Where were you last night?”

“Well, I went to see the fates of the Shen and Jia families,” he replied matter of factly.

Immediately, Meng Qi was burning with curiosity. “Is the Jia family also demons?”

“No one is an expert in the Jia family, so they can’t identify those demons. One branch has been haunted by them and asked a son to marry a demon. The two gave birth to a half-demon who planned on marrying Shen Ruoxuan.” Heaven-destined Cultivator casually said, “Last night, the Shen family and a branch of the Jia family escaped into the remote woods. Their dwellings were already empty, and only the servants were left alive.”

Fortunately, no more innocent people were dead… Meng Qi felt relieved, and then he frowned. “How can they do such a good job of hiding their Demon Odor among human beings? As powerful as Exterior masters are, they can’t recognize it unless they know earlier…”

Looking at him, Heaven-destined Cultivator replied seriously after some thought. “I don’t know.”

Meng Qi had already anticipated his answer, and he then asked, “Taoist, why not stop them from escaping?”

“They are destined to escape, so my interference won’t make a difference.” Yet again, Heaven-destined Cultivator became bizarre.

Meng Qi couldn’t stop twitching his lips. He said with a serious face, “Taoist, you’ve run into this matter, does it means that you’re destined to deliver this incident to Six Fan School? If not, why did I escape to your temple and come across you under the moonlight?”

“Good point…” Heaven-destined Cultivator was taken aback. He counted on his fingers to “see” and then nodded. He immediately went downhill and disappeared before Meng Qi.

Meng Qi exhaled while staring at his shadow. He planned to masquerade himself and sneak into Wen’an City to see about how Six Fan School responded, thus, finishing what he had started.

Back in the temple again, he hid in a quiet room where he could disguise himself.

Out of the blue, everything went dark in front of him, like all the light and sound disappeared. He couldn’t see or hear anything. He then released his spirit to perceive the surroundings, but he found nothing, as if his rival completely fit in the darkness.

A feeling of extreme danger arose in his heart, but he felt much safer than last night. With a calm heart, he used his spirit to sense the room, bearing in mind all the details of it, such as the desk and chair, censor, bookshelves, and portrait.

.

Although his eyes and ears dysfunctioned, he knew something was odd upon entering the imperceptibility realm.

Something was salient in the darkness, like countless claws hurtling toward him. He couldn’t tell whether they were real, or they were all fake.

As Meng Qi punched with hands interlocked, he was integrated with the earth stably.

He entered into meditation by depending on the imperceptibility realm and Standing Still. He couldn’t know the attacker’s concrete moves, nor did he know how to respond, but he naturally counterattacked, barricading their every strike.

The colliding sound was off and on. Confronted with his foe in the dark and the attacks from all directions, he stayed motionless.

At the same time, he identified his attacker.

Tie Sheng, the Wolf King!

He was stronger now than in Maoling. His Hidden Latch of midbrow seemed to have opened up. More importantly, he could use the Oneness of Heaven and Men realm to create some mysteries.

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Was he here because he had spotted Meng Qi’s status, or was he just a pure hunter?