The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The ripples on the blue sea glittered brilliantly as flying fishes leaped from the churning waves. After some distance behind him, the shoreline slowly disappeared from view.

Meng Qi had decided to stop guessing Gu Xiaosang’s true motives seeing as he lacked information, frustrating his attempts at deduction. It would be a total waste of time. Moreover, there was something about Gu Xiaosang’s ability to always predict or even outmaneuver her adversaries with impeccable precision. She seemed to know more than she let on, maintaining an air of mystery around her designs and purposes. She misled even seemingly invincible enemies by spouting half-truths, leading them into her trap.

“Has she always behaved this way in her exploits in the Samsara? Does she have companions or has she always operated alone? What are her purposes?” Meng Qi’s thoughts wandered subconsciously to Gu Xiaosang. He was hardly worried about her well-being—her manipulative and cunning methods would never fail her. He might as well worry about how Liu Shuyu would handle the aftermath of the havoc he had wreaked in the Plain Lady’s Paradise.

No one would have been suspicious in the short period of time when the entire dimension of the Plain Lady’s Paradise was sealed and both the Shang River Fairy and Guo Xi were unconscious. Liu Shuyu’s interference would have quelled all doubt. However, as he and Gu Xiaosang escaped, the two incapacitated victims would have regained their consciousness. Guo Xi might not be able to reveal anything. He would most likely still be dazed since he had a relatively low level of power and resistance. Liu Shuyu would have ample chances to influence his recollections with the use of mystic techniques.

However, the Shang River Fairy was a Peerless Master Pro who wielded considerable strength in both her Vital Spirit and her physique. She might not be able to notice any peculiarities when she regained her senses, and she would endure having to put up with a male partner who lacked the qualities to satisfy her needs during Dual Cultivation, but her account to the present incarnation of the Mystic Fairy would be enough for the latter to divine what had actually happened.

Then again, there has been hatred between them and the Sect of the Plain Lady for a while now. It would hardly make any difference now that Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang had once again provoked their fury by intruding into their sanctuary. Moreover, Meng Qi and his accomplice had left without stealing the Extinctive Blade of the Overlord and the chrysalis of the Founder of their order. Surely the order of the Sect of the Plain Lady would let the matter rest for now since they had already escaped!

However, Liu Shuyu would be in a precarious position. The transgression could result in her execution since her “role” as the Successor to the Mystic Fairy was not irreplaceable!

“I wonder what she would do…” Meng Qi’s brows twitched. A word entered his mind, “death.” Not only for the Shang River Fairy and Guo Xi but for Liu Shuyu as well.

Meng Qi could not help but feel guilty. He didn’t kill Guo Xi but he may as well have. Sadly, faced with certain death he could only think about himself.

“I am not a selfless hero after all…” Meng Qi thought with swelling emotions. He forced himself to think about other matters and stop worrying about Guo Xi and Liu Shuyu. Who could have guessed that the cunning Gu Xiaosang had left a hidden ace with the Shang River Fairy?

She would have gotten no sympathy from him if she had not been able to manage the debacle.

His thoughts turned to the two strokes of the Divine Nine-annihilation and the Primary Instruction, and the Third and Fourth Strokes of the Six Strokes of the Overlord that he had assimilated earlier. The wisdom that he had acquired, particularly from the Fourth Stroke of the Six Strokes of the Overlord, enhanced his skills with the blade and helped his future advancements. The Nine Annihilation at Heavenly Nights was a martial discipline meant for the spear, so it was of minimal use to Meng Qi who used the saber exclusively.

“The wisdom that I have gained from the strokes of Let All Begone and The Fall of The Buddhas will help improve my skills.” Meng Qi thought. “But the stroke of ‘The Holy Mountain Incursion, The Fall of All Buddhas’ specifically mentioned the Holy Mountain. I wonder why.”

As a traveler of the Samsara, Meng Qi knew of the Holy Mountain’s significance to Buddhism, so he saw nothing unusual with the phrase earlier. Now that he thought about it, he sensed that something was wrong.

The Great Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama of the actual realm, resided in the Saha Pure Land while the Amitabha Buddha himself dwelled in the Paradise of the West. The two locations were the true symbols of Buddhism in the actual world as the Holy Mountain existed only in the realm of the Journey to the West. Why had the Overlord named his technique after the Holy Mountain instead of the other two?

“The Overlord has attained the state of a Legend, the singular existence across all realms. There could have been tales of his feats in the realm of the Journey to the West and that would explain his knowledge of the Holy Mountain. But why would he use the lesser-known name of the Holy Mountain when he could have easily used the more widely-known name of the Saha Pure Land? This contradicts the haughty and pompous disposition of the Overlord who has always sought to glorify and immortalize himself.” One after another, justifications for the Overlord’s choice popped up in Meng Qi’s mind but none made much sense.

Before long, he saw an endless stretch of land before him. He set aside his thoughts and began to descend.

Having spent some time away from the mainland, Meng Qi immediately began seeking news and information. He had to keep abreast of possible developments that were detrimental to him.

Aside from the incident of the Blue-blooded People, there was another hot topic at the tables of the inns nearby.

“Yan Chong, The Unstoppable, has endured the Judgement of Lightning to rise over the earlier levels of the Exterior!”

There have been a total of six martial practitioners who bounded across the earlier levels of the Exterior from that generation of the Ranking List of Young Masters.

“Yan Chong has leaped across the hurdles of the earlier levels of the Exterior?” Meng Qi felt encouraged by the news. Yan Chong hailed from a martial sect of modest standing. He had chanced upon encounters that had showered him with gains albeit unremarkable. Many people thought that making it to the ranks of the Exterior was the greatest extent of his potential. However, he had labored and toiled, persevering against adversity to reach the heights he had reached today. Despite swallowing his pride and making use of connections to obtain resources, martial disciplines, and opportunities to meditate upon artifacts and relics, Yan Chong never lost sight of his goal to pursue greatness. With patience and perseverance, he had stayed his course and vaulted over the tremendous hurdles of the earlier levels of the Exterior to prove his potential to be a future grandmaster.

His fortitude and determination were worthy of being lauded as a parable within Jianghu!

In the eyes of the common folk Jianghu, Meng Qi was nonetheless a former disciple of the Shaolin order. With the impartations of Shaolin disciplines, Meng Qi was expected to have honed the foundations of his eventual success and fame in Jianghu! In contrast, Yan Chong was truly representative of warriors of more humble beginnings. Despite the hardships and struggles up the ladder of the Ranking List, and the perils in the Jianghu, Yan Chong’s present triumph served as a reminder that there was hope!

At least, the common folk could visualize a dream to be like Yan Chong in the future!

“It really has been a long and arduous journey for him. The blood, sweat, and tears that he shed would put even He Jiu to shame. He really deserves the utmost respect.” Meng Qi turned to leave the inn. He suddenly had an impulse. “I must give him a visit to convey my congratulations.”

“Into the dark of night I swim; At the behest of my fancy’s whim!”

In Jingbo City of the Peng Province, nestled between the sea and the mountain.

The Sect of the Ocean’s Tide was respected in Jingbo city, but only in Jingbo city. It was not acclaimed in the Jianghu as it had never produced disciples of the caliber of the Exterior Realm nor did it possess any regalias of Precious Weapons. In fact, a sect of such strength could not even compete with even the most common of guilds in the city of Yedu!

Yet, these days, crowds of nervous and passionate young men and women filled the halls of the Sect of the Ocean’s Tide. Many had traveled far and wide to enroll with the order. It was a sight never before seen within these walls. Joyous grins hemmed with comfort lined the wrinkled faces of several Elders of the order as they spotted a number of recruits in the crowd who held great potential.

The reason for the excitement and passion that now filled these halls was none other than Yan Chong, the first son of Jingbo city to claim the title of “The Greatest of the Ranking List of Young Masters”, and the first martial practitioner to attain the Realms of the Exterior under the tutelage of the Sect of the Ocean’s Tide. Much hope and expectation now rested upon his shoulders. No one doubted that he could one day become a grandmaster!

In the eyes of many in the Jianghu, Yan Chong would surely make it into the Terrestrial Rankings if he would only pledge his services to factions of greater prominence and strength in order to gain access to more resources. Yet a man of Yan Chong’s temperament would rather enlist with the Sect of the Ocean’s Tide than to join stronger and more famous guilds and orders and suffer severe competition!

Yan Chong stood with his hands held behind back, his saber hanging from his waist as he took in the sight before him. Smiling serenely, he was proud that he, as a native of the city, could bring honor and fame to the sect by his own hands. It was an achievement that gave him greater satisfaction than becoming the heir of other guilds of greater standing.

“Young Master Yan.”

“Elder Yan!”

“Senior Brother!”

Reverence and respect could clearly be seen on the faces of the aspiring youths and the other disciples of the order, greeting him profusely as he walked by. The younger disciples of the order blushed with immense pride for being part of the order that he was in.

Yan Chong’s head dipped gently in acknowledgment. He smiled faintly at them and said, “Dark clouds are overhead. Rain is upon us. Let us adjourn into the halls.”

The summer rain came swiftly as predicted. The sky was shrouded in darkness with flashes of lightning lighting up the skies.

Yan Chong watched the congregation shuffled indoors and then retreated to a shack in the middle of a hill. Slowly, he meandered up the slopes, holding his hands behind him, to the quiet site where he trained and meditated.

He had barely stepped into his abode when the sky was illuminated by a flash of lightning followed by the furious rumble of thunder.

The winds then blew savagely and then came the torrential rain. It became dark as night outside. He could only see the phantasmal vapor produced by the moisture whenever lightning flashed.

The thunderstorm whipped the shack mercilessly—it was if the shack would be blown away any time. Yan Chong sat on a chair and enjoyed the display of Nature’s fury.

He had rarely immersed himself in such tranquility since he embarked on the journey to reach for the Exterior Realms.

He suddenly turned his head to the window. His senses alerted him to an unexpected presence outside. He peered intently into the dark storm. A man was slowly walking up the path.

The man wore black ,fitting clothes and his saber hung from his waist. He was carrying an urn of wine and a package wrapped in oiled paper. Handsome and fair, the stranger came with a demeanor was akin to a lord amongst men.

He held no umbrella, nor did he conjure his Protective Upstanding Qi which would have shielded him from the rain. Yet each and every drop of water that fell on his hair, his clothes, and his skin rolled off and left no wetness as though their momentum dissipated the moment the droplets landed on him.

The man walked through the heavy downpour like he was walking on a warm and sunny day!

With the coming of the stranger, the wild bolts of lightning and thunder seemed to cower into hiding, worsening the terrible darkness!

“Word has reached me that you, Brother Yan, has leaped across the hurdles of the earlier levels of the Exterior. I have come with an urn of fine wine to congratulate you.”

The heavy rain and strong winds did nothing to diminish Meng Qi’s voice as he spoke from afar.

Meng Qi had just barely finished when Yan Chong found him already standing at the door.

“To receive an old friend who comes undeterred by wind or rain gives me great pleasure.” Yan Chong opened the door with a smile.

Without any bother for petty ceremony, Meng Qi entered the shack with a cavalier demeanor. He tore open the bundle of oiled paper and revealed slices of beef. Yan Chong produced two bowls which he filled with wine.

“Cheers!” Meng Qi exclaimed and took the first mouthful as a gesture of respect. With one huge gulp, he emptied his bowl. Yan Chong followed suit and drank from his bowl like a whale.

“Another toast to your accomplishment and your bright future, Brother Yan!” Meng Qi poured another round and took another swig.

Mixed emotions swelled within Yan Chong. He finished the wine from his bowl in one gulp and said, “Long I have watched martial practitioners of the Exterior Realms who hailed from other guilds and sects. Since then I have have been determined not to get left behind. My deepest desire has finally been realized! Cheers!”

Yan Chong made no attempt to disguise his emotions.

Yan Chong gulped down his third bowl. He spoke passionately. “People used to call us the Dual Blades of the Ranking List of Young Masters. I have always wanted to engage you in a duel, yet the opportunity for such contests has always been elusive. Yet here we are now, both practitioners of the level of the Exterior, but you are now leagues ahead of me. The point of such a contest has been lost, leaving only the hollow urge to complete the deed.

“I have waited a long time for this day, for this stroke!”

Having barely finished speaking, the saber that hung by his waist flew up on its own and the handle hit the center of his palm!

Without losing momentum, the saber slashed in an upward motion before arcing back at Meng Qi. The aura of the blade’s motion extended out of the shack, forming a chimerical pillar-like silhouette in the heavy downpour. In the air, the silhouette looked like a fierce dragon winding around a huge pillar column, majestic and powerful as it echoed the force of Yan Chong’s attacks.

Meng Qi grinned at Yan Chong. Before he knew it, his hand was already on the hilt of his own saber. A layer of ice formed on the surface of the blade that seemed to freeze and hold even Time itself!

Chink!

Meng Qi’s saber glimmered coldly as it escaped its sheath, its ferocity and malice no longer contained. The stroke came from below—a stroke that began from absolute rest and that suddenly burst out with strength. A stroke expressed by the stunning radiance from his blade that embodied both speed and power!

It was a technique he devised from his assimilation of the “Let All Begone” technique!

“Clang!”

The flashes of the dancing blades poured like the stabbing radiance of sunlight and the silhouette of the cylindrical column was cleaved in half before disintegrating. The brief exchange had not affected the weather, so no one had noticed the short but dramatic bout!

Yan Chong slowly slid back into his seat and sheathed his saber. He sighed softly, “Your skills with the blade have long surpassed mine.”

He knew Meng Qi could have broken his blade into pieces if the latter wished so.

With the Heaven Inflicted Pain back in its scabbard, Meng Qi laughed jovially. “It was hardly a fair contest. Yours is not yet a Precious Weapon.”

As he spoke, Meng Qi came to appreciate the adversity faced by students of lesser sects and by independent martial practitioners. In Yan Chong’s case, he had overcome the hurdles of the Exterior Realms only to find that he had yet to possess a Precious Weapon befitting his needs and stature.

“I am still collecting the materials to refine this saber. It has, after all, served me well for almost a decade,” Yan Chong said tenderly. “On another note, you have only appeared once in River East since the affair of The Buddha’s Palm’s Primary Instruction. It is unseemly for the Killing Blade to remain in hiding and obscurity.”

“I have been working on my skills to the best of my time.” Meng Qi replied pleasantly. “And thus, I have been detached from the affairs of Jianghu.”

“The incident of the Blue-blooded People is now the talk of the Jianghu. The outbreak of the news was enough to send shivers across the lands…” Yan Chong gently updated him. “And then there was the tale of the Merciless Tyrant’s resurgence. There are rumors that he now wields invincible powers. Some say he easily caught up to a fleeing Soul-chasing Demon Monarch without the need to conjure his Dharmic Form. Even the Sect of the Plain Lady holds him in great regard, they say…”

He continued his tale until finally, Meng Qi heard him say, “Merciless Tyrant has been entered into the Black List by the greater sects and the nobility. He is now in ninety-ninth place.”

“I have not been listed in the Terrestrial Rankings, yet I have made a name in the Black List…” Meng Qi could not help but feel odd listening to others speak about the persona of his disguise. There was a mild swell of pride with a mixture of embarrassment.

“There was also a monk by the name of Fa Zheng. There was word that he possesses strength comparable to that of a grandmaster. But it is uncertain if the monk has ways and methods to counter the scourge of the Blue-blooded People, so the Six Fan School has yet to officially recognize his ability and credentials.” Yan Chong continued.

He lowered his voice as he continued. “The Ruan Clan has been secretly enlisting assistance from the greater sects and guilds as well as the nobility. I think they are thinking of dealing with the Blue-blooded People.”

Meng Qi’s brows raised curiously, “The Ruan Clan has deep interest in the affairs of the Blue-blooded People?”