The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Boom!

Du Huaishang was once again more knocked from the air. The tremendous force of his adversary’s blow created a huge crater on the ground. His chest had caved in, he had broken several ribs and he was sure that there was massive internal bleeding, but his blood was still frozen. Not a single drop of blood seeped out from this horrific wound.

He exerted every ounce of strength he could muster and struggled to his feet. Wisps of black gas – black as midnight and fatally poisonous – encircled him, assailing his mangled body, gnawing at his flesh and feasting on his blood, even as it bound his movements. He could hardly stand, let alone retaliate.

In only three rounds of combat, anyone could see that he was suffering from fearsom wounds .

Zuo Hanfeng had indeed improved rapidly, lengthening the disparity between their strengths and skills!

Zuo Hangfeng had slammed Du Huaishang into the earth, without so much as a backward glance. His present might as one of the Earth Order acted to direct his attention to more immediate threats, paying no heed to the presently incapacitated Du Huaishang!

His emerald-green bloodshot eyes swept across to survey Meng Qi and his company. Raising his right hand, a flicker of a deep blue glowed briefly even as it was quickly smothered.

He was confident that a single blow would eliminate these meddling vermin, thus ending the accursed skirmish.

Noticing Du Huaishang wounded form crumpled on the ground, Ruan Yushu set her face determinedly. There was not one shred of fear on face. She had the adamantly steadfast and resolute will that could even shame the bravest of a champion. Biting her tongue and gritting her teeth, she spat a mouthful of Blood Essence on her Phoenix-perching Zither.

As she knew full well, a single strike from one who possessed the strength and skills of an Exterior would instantly kill her companions, who lacked the protection of magical artifacts. Zuo Hanfeng must be stopped lest her companions, aside from she who possessed a Blue Sky Seal, perished tragically.

Her fingers danced upon the board of the zither. The song from her zither, a soaring phoenix’s cry, tore through the clouds like a cold, keen blade, dispeling all thatwas dark and foul, echoing the hymns were sung in the highest of the Heavens. The godly melody of the heavens purified all that was evil and vile, gripping Zuo Hanfeng’s Vital Spirit with fear.

Ruan Yushu’s melodious song rose and resounded mightily through the surrounding, Tweets and chirps of a multitude of birds rang out in tribute to the sound of a kingly phoenix circling the sky above. Strong and wonderous was her tune that every soul would quake at the sound of it.

As she completed her song, Ruan Yushu’s face turned deathly pale as spiritual exertion weighed on her. Despite her waning condition, she had endured obstinately through sheer will. Her skill had grown and advanced since their Journey to the West.

Thanks to Ruan Yushu’s interference, the force and intensity of Zuo Hanfeng’s stroke diminished considerably. Recognizing an opening, Jiang Zhiwei shook herself free of the binding frost and rose bravely to counter the attack. Swift and bold was the thrust of her sword, Sun-Penetrating Rainbow, as it pierced the air. She summoned the powers of her Precious Weapon to defend her and her companions!

The air around her sword vibrated wildly as her Sword Qi surged and its powers burst forth. The blow of energy shot up into the cosmos, slicing through the darkness emanating from her evil adversary. The sword shone radiantly in her grip, a holy illumination that imbued the blade of her sword with the Dharma and Logos of the Heaven and Earth, drawing all light and brightness away from everything else — a bright thunderbolt in the eye of a malevolent tempest.

This darkness around her sword of light was gradually consumed by the radiant blaze of the holy illumination of her blade. Its formless state reformed into infinite Sword Qi, strengthening her stance.

This was one of few variations of the Anatta Sword technique. The essence of her power and the spiritual force of her blade were fused into the Sword Qi of her Precious Weapon, allowing her to smite at enemies from a distance but costing her endurance, her genuine Qi and her physical energy. In addition to the injuries she had received earlier, and her spent reserves of power, Jiang Zhiwei was forced to use her trump card by consuming and immolating her Blood Essence.

The sword struck out with no resistance. All bonds were broken without delay.

Sword Qi, with its Cloud-cutting Energy, sliced through the gloom and struck Zuo Hanfeng, who was just a second too slow, in the ventral area up to his mid-brows.

However, compared to the last time Zuo Hanfeng had fallen to the “Dragons’ Vast Cries” his strength had improved, and he merely clenched his mind and shook off the effects of the Heavenly Phoenix Cries. He pointed the fingers on his right palm and from them, emitted a dark blue stream, interwoven with jet-black, both ice cold and evil all at once.

Even looking at it was uncanny; this random flick of the fingers which happened to hit the tip of the sword.

Clang!

There was a loud clashing of iron, Sword Qi raged across the vast sky, instantly freezing it forming falling snow.

Jiang Zhiwei’s retreated a few steps as her feet hit the ground, her right arm bent at a strange angle – it was broken. She only had the use of her left arm now.

Even as she seized the opportunity, the Exterior’s strength was not enough to protect her from being seriously injured.

Zuo Hanfeng had a kind of claw-like Precious Weapon on his right-hand, and bore no sign of injury. His eyes held a glimmer of Sword Qi spread which slowly cleared.

In any case, he was only slightly injured.

They were really realms apart! Even with the power the Descendants of Divine Devil cultivated from their blood lineage, it remained slightly weaker compared to the same category from the Exterior!

“If I am injured, does that mean Mr. Yin was killed? I am going to have to tear you lot to pieces!” After turning to this cruel and arcane technique, Zuo Hanfeng’s temper had become explosive and he had lost his previous sophistication and calmness.

Just as he was about to destroy the courtyard and all the remaining survivors, he was suddenly struck by a horrifying premonition. He immediately tried to tried to dodge away. But he could still feel vitality leaking frmo his body, his Vital Spirit hemorrhaging!

Meng Qi gazed solemnly at Zuo Hanfeng, a plain looking old bronze mirror in his left hand. The mirror, with its jet-black depths sucked away his vitality, consuming his soul; it was a harbinger of death.

“Yin-Yang Mirror”!

The Yin side brought death and the Yang side life to those who looked into it. A Magical Arms grade Taoist weapon, if it was an original piece, it would kill any capable Dharmakaya!

Just a single glance had left Zuo Hanfeng’s vision fading, his Vital Spirit and physical vitality inevitably leaving his body to enter the Yin-Yang Mirror.

He knew that if this continued, it would spell bad news for him. In a last ditch effort, he mustered his blood lineage; Dharma and Logos moved to the forefront as heaven and earth moved. He morphed into a dark blue hornless dragon, and unlike other dragons, his scales were dull and there were two deep black protrusions on his forehead.

This was Zuo Hanfeng’s “Hornless Dragon Form”, one of the highest forms of blood lineage, just below the stable Grand Sun Form of Earth 3rd Order.

Naturally, the further one went, the Real Dragon Form which was comparable Grand Sun Form was just as potently difficult to maintain. As such it supressed the manifestation of a great many Dharma Forms, conferring Du Huaishang the nickname of “Peacekeeping Heavenly King”.

The barely formed Hornless Dragon covered in snowflakes took the place of Vital Spirit and was pulled into the Yin-Yang Mirror.

Zuo Hanfeng’s will to live was truly ruthless!

The ‘Hornless Dragon Form” spiraled into the Yin-Yang Mirror and for an instant, cracks appeared, from which a dark blue light seeped out.

‘Crash’, the imitation Yin-Yang Mirror shattered, the semi-formed Hornless Dragon Form likewise destroyed.

Breath was torn from Zuo Hanfeng’s. The power that had once placed him at 6th Earth Order dropped to that of an acolyte. His Vital Spirit shook, both eyes glazed over and dulled. For an instant, he seemed to plunge from the sky.

The secret treasure was awesome indeed!

However, the cost to Meng Qi was considerable. He speculated that if it had been a genuine mirror, he would have needed the Third Heaven of the Exterior in order to employ it. In each instance, mustering a Precious Weapon like he had today was akin to engaging a Dharmakaya movement.

Witnessing Zuo Hanfeng’s demise, Zhao Heng’s pupils constricted, he suddenly jumped up and unsheathed his sword.

“This is precisely the opportunity I’ve been waiting for!”

There was nothing that unusual about this sword strike. Yet it made the earth shake, as if all attention was now on Zhao Heng, allowing him to, for that single moment, be something like the creator or emperor in this place.

The blade struck, and the evil, black gas of the ‘Yin” became the positive force of ‘Yang’ which gradually spread through Zuo Hanfeng.

Zuo Hanfeng reacted promptly, moving sideways a few meters, and using his left shoulder to meet Zhao Heng’s blade.

Without a sound, his left arm dropped away, black gas billowed out, throwing Zhao Heng backwards.

For some reason, this strike reminded Meng Qi of Gao Lan’s Heavens’ Fist.“Could it be that this royal Taoist sword art was derived from a combination of Eight Strokes of Turmoil and Emperor Swords?”

Zhao Heng, who was already in Oneness of Heaven, wiped his bloody nose after flying backwards from being hit by the black gas. Such resonance was normal and his injuries were not serious.

Every pore in his body inhaled Vital Qi from the Earth and soon his genuine Qi and spirit were restored. However, the previous battle with Yin Lengfeng had been particularly hard and taken much from him. Each strike had meant using arcane methods and it had not been possible to maintain that combat ability for long.

Having lost an arm, Zuo Hanfeng let out an angry roar that shook the earth, enough to set Meng Qi’s head spinning, like a multitude of lions roaring in one’s ears.

Yet when Zuo Hanfeng had dodged the earth-shaking blade, he had let his loyal “scale-less winter dragon” to take the blow instead. Where the blade had sliced through, it exposed many frozen crystalline layers, both frigid and mesmerizing.

Even though Zuo Hanfeng was of Hornless Dragon lineage, the Dharma Form needed for changing form was lost, and he was unable to view the Exterior level Dragon Stripe Golden Sword that Qi Zhengyan had mustered as just an ordinary strike.

He had put up layers of frozen defense over his body, allowing him to fend off attacks to his flesh or Vital Spirit but made his movements somewhat slower and left him unable to attack.

Calmly, Meng Qi immediately churned out a Sacrifice Formula, simulating Purple Thunder Force in order to muster up a Precious Weapon and propel a “Five Thunder Bombardment of Sky”.

He leapt high up in the air, half a body higher than the descending Zuo Hanfeng, and chanelling his body weight through his waist, he chopped downwards, cryingout,

“Die!”

With the Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture enhancements, his Thundering scream was greatly improved. This one cry was like a clap of thunder with no storm and it shook Zuo Hanfeng’s Vital Spirit to the core.

The long saber slashed downwards like a whip, the powers of the five realms blended into one, cascading downwards one after the other.

The dark clouds billowed together, the thunder was deafening. Interwoven strips of Green Thunder flowed together into Sky Thunder which then worked through the long saber.

Purple electricity rendered Thunder Punishment from the sky; it would make anyone who saw it shake in fear. It also made Jiang Shenghong who was flying towards them stop in his tracks.

“Boom!”

The booming of the five realms become one solid boom, sending shudders through Jiang Shenghong’s entire body as the current of air ceased swirling and stabilized.

Meng Qi gripped Heaven Inflicted Pain, feeling the long saber meet resistance, but following through with the assistance of Thunder Punishment. Zuo Hanfeng was cleaved into two.

Saber Qi spread out in all directions and Green Thunder was like cloud covering completely enveloping Zuo Hanfeng, carving him into many tiny pieces of charred flesh and blood.

Rain began to fall like white sheets, a mist which covered the entire parched expanse of land.

Meng Qi’s gaze stilled just as his feet touched back down to earth. On the ground before him, the charred pieces of flesh were beginning to wriggle. They rapidly coalesced into a lump, pulling themselves together into the jade-eyed blue-whiskered Zuo Hanfeng.

“Even this isn’t enough to kill him?”

“Is this an obscure “ancestral” Dharma Access effect?”

Zuo Hanfeng’s breath had weakened significantly, as if weighted down with something. Meng Qi’s blood was still up and he knew he still had the upper hand. He shouted out loudly,

“Kill everyone!”

Seeing that Meng Qi had seemingly lost all reason, Jiang Shenghong quietly retreated.